Close Quarters Combat Weapon System



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

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) 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 as an aesthetic addition to the CQB armor.

Appearance
It cannot be used in the games. One of the few times a combat knife can be seen in game is on the lower backs of ODSTs and on the left chest of the C.Q.B Chest plate, armor permutation, though they are never used in combat. Also, it does have a serrated edge, for better cutting effectiveness, like other combat knives as mentioned in Halo: The Fall of Reach.

History
Older versions of combat knives were used as early as World War I. Often they doubled as modern Bayonets in combat, with the ability to be fixed to a rifle. As trench warfare was abandoned, and the focus shifted instead to longer-range, the combat knife also was redesigned, intended for emergency use in close-quarters hand-to-hand combat, rather than being fixed as a bayonet. Many military's designed their combat knives with secondary uses, such as foliage clearing, or opening ammunition boxes. Its use by the UNSC Marine Corps well into the 26th Century, relatively unchanged over the hundreds of years, is therefore a testament to its usefulness in all areas, including in combat.

Trivia

 * The ODST Action Figure, made by Joyride Studios, has a Combat Knife that can be held by the action figures hand.
 * It was Spartan-104's (Fred) trademark weapon next to the MA5B Assault Rifle.
 * In Halo 3 Concept Art for EGM, a Spartan is shown with a Combat Knife on his right leg, however this was just an artistic look for the ODST armor.
 * It was intended to be used in the early Halo: CE build but was cut before it made it into the final game.
 * It can be found on the chest plate of the CQB armor permutation in Halo 3.
 * It can be seen on the shields when selecting the difficulty levels. One on Normal and two crossed over each other on both Heroic and Legendary.