Editing Close Quarters Combat Weapon System

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[[Image:CombatKnife.jpg|thumb|The Combat Knife]]

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) sheathed. All [[UNSC]] troops are issued with a combat knife for close quarters combat or in situations when ammo is scarce.<ref>[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]], Spartan Mission to capture Watts</ref> 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==
One of the few times a combat knife can be seen in game is on the lower backs of [[ODST]]s and on the left chest of the [[C.Q.B]] chest plate [[Armor Permutations|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 on top of a shield bearing the Marathon symbol.

== History ==
[[Image:ODST Knife.jpg|thumb|left|A combat knife holstered on an ODST's shoulder.]]
For use in battle, knives have been used almost since the dawn of warfare, 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 hundreds of years, knives and swords became the 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 1. As the intent of war shifted from trench warfare to attrition warfare, knives became last-resort weapons. By 2553, the [[UNSC]] is still using knives, showing that such an easily accessible and created weapon still runs strong even thousands of years later.

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== Trivia ==
*The [[ODST]] [[Action Figure]], made by Joyride Studios, has a Combat Knife that can be held by the action figures hand.
*It was [[Frederic-104|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 seen on the shields when selecting the difficulty levels. One on [[Normal]] and two crossed over each other on  both [[Heroic]] and [[Legendary]], the latter also having an [[Elite]] skull.
*The "containment device" for the Combat Knife on the [[CQB]] [[Armor Permutation]] seems much more complex in appearance than the sheath of the [[ODST]]s.
*In [[Halo Wars]] [[John Forge]] used a combat knife to wound the [[Ripa 'Moramee|Arbiter]] before killing him.

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayonet "Bayonet on Wikipedia"]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_Knife "Combat Knife on Wikipedia"]
[[Category:Human Weapons]]
[[Category:Melee Weapons]]