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]]'', as an aesthetic addition to the [[CQB]] armor, and 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.

==Appearance==
One of the few times a combat knife can be seen in game is on the lower backs of [[ODST]]s or 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 that's bearing the Marathon symbol.

== History ==
[[Image:ODST Knife.jpg|thumb|left|A smaller class combat knife holstered on an ODST's shoulder.]]
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 1. 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.

== 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. There is 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 ODSTs.
*In [[Halo Wars]], [[John Forge]] has a combat knife named "Lucy", which he used to wound the [[Ripa 'Moramee|Arbiter]] before killing him.

== Sources ==
<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]]