Combat knife

The combat knife, occasionally referred to as the Close Quarters Combat Weapon System, is a multi-purpose knife used by the United Nations Space Command.

Design details
The UNSC's multi-purpose combat knife has a 20 cm blade made of high carbon steel, an anti-flash non-reflective titanium carbide coating, edge coated for corrosion resistance and is 43.3 cm when sheathed. All UNSC troops are issued a combat knife for field and utility uses, as well as a backup weapon for desperate close combat situations. It is also balanced for throwing.

History
Knives have been used in battle almost since the dawn of warfare, first as a sharp piece of rock, and then when metal proved effective during a period of time where projectile weapons were not readily available. Even after the invention of the firearm, knives were still used as bayonets for close-quarters-combat and in the event of an enemy's cavalry charge. As more modern times came about during the 21st century, combat knives became almost exclusively used for utility purposes in the field, and were only used as a weapon during desperate situations, simply due to the fact that they were impractical for use during combat in most situations due to firearms and other advanced weaponry.

By 2553, the UNSC still uses knives in their operations, showing that such an easily accessible and created weapon and tool still runs strong even hundreds of years later. Even the Covenant uses knives, with the Jiralhanae using their own combat knife (and a multitude of bayonet-like blades) and the Sangheili using the Curveblade.

Trivia

 * Frederic-104 possesses particular skill with combat knives, and is rather fond of their use.
 * When performing an assassination, a second knife spawns out of nowhere. This can be seen in Theater: despite using a knife to assassinate your opponent, it still appears sheathed on your chest.
 * In Halo: Reach, the Security armor permutation for the right shoulder has a kukri on it. However, if a player equips it, there will still be a standard combat knife on your chest and the kukri will remain unusable.
 * The Kukri is not used for assassinations, even if the Security Shoulder is equipped.
 * In Halo: Reach, should the sheathed knife be moved by any chest permutations, the player will still sheath the knife in the default position (this is most noticeable with chest pieces such as Tactical/Patrol).

List of appearances

 * Halo 2
 * Halo 3
 * Halo Wars
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: The Flood
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * The Mona Lisa
 * Headhunters
 * Halo Legends
 * Homecoming
 * The Package