Close Quarters Combat Weapon System



The Close Quarters Combat Weapon System, otherwise known as the Combat Knife, is a multi-purpose infantry-sized knife used by the United Nations Space Command.

Overview
The multi-purpose combat knife has a 20 centimeter (7.9 inches) blade made of high carbon steel, coated for corrosion resistance and is 43.3 centimeters (1.42 feet) when sheathed. All UNSC troops are issued with a combat knife for close quarters combat or in situations when ammo is scarce. It is also balanced for throwing. It only appears in the novels and on the backs of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers in Halo 2 and Halo 3, and in The Babysitter but not Halo: Combat Evolved.

History
Knives have been used in battle almost since the dawn of warfare, first as a sharp piece of rock, and then metal proved effective during a period of time where projectile weapons were not readily available. The combat knife later branched off and became a sword, while others used daggers. For thousands of years, knives and swords have been a weapon of choice for soldiers. Even after the invention of the firearm, knives were still used as bayonets for close-quarters-combat. Sabers were still issued in World War I. As war tactics shifted from trench warfare to attrition warfare, knives became last-resort weapons or simple tools. By 2553, the UNSC still uses knives, showing that such an easily accessible and created weapon still runs strong even thousands of years later.

Appearance
One of the few times a combat knife can be seen in game is on the lower backs of ODSTs or on the left chest of the CQB chest plate armor permutation, though they are never used in combat. It also has a serrated edge like other combat knives as mentioned in Halo: The Fall of Reach. It currently represents certain difficulty levels in the Halo Trilogy. Normal has a single knife, Heroic has two crossed knives, and Legendary is represented by a shot Elite skull with two crossed knives. All of these symbols are placed over a shield with the Marathon logo engraved into it, and Easy is represented by the shield alone.

It also appears in a cutscene in Halo Wars where John Forge stabbed the Arbiter with the combat knife, giving him the chance to kill him with his own Energy Sword. It makes another appearance in a cutscene in Halo 3: ODST, when Buck uses it to stab a Brute Chieftain in the neck. SPARTAN-141 Cal uses one in The Babysitter to take out a grunt quietly.

Trivia

 * The ODST Action Figure, made by Joyride Studios, has a Combat Knife that can be held by the action figure's hand.
 * It was Frederic-104's trademark weapon, next to the MA5B Assault Rifle.
 * In Halo 3 Concept Art for EGM, a Spartan-II is shown with a Combat Knife on his/her right leg, however this was just an artistic look for the ODST armor.
 * A larger version of the combat knife, called the Machete, was intended to be used in the early Halo: CE build, but was cut before it made it into the final game.
 * In Halo Wars, John Forge has a combat knife named "Lucy", which he used to wound the Arbiter before killing him.
 * In Halo 3: ODST, the character Buck can be seen wearing a combat knife on his chest plate.