Editing Close Quarters Combat Weapon System

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{{Melee Weapons}}

[[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) when 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]]'', but not [[Halo: CE|Halo: Combat Evolved]].

==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. 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|''Halo Wars'']] where John Forge stabbed the [[Ripa 'Moramee|Arbiter]] with the combat knife, giving him the chance to kill him with his own Energy Sword.

== History ==
[[Image:ODST Knife.jpg|thumb|right|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 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.


== Trivia ==
[[Image:Buck Knife.png|thumb|[[Buck]], wielding a combat knife as he is about to stab a [[Brute Chieftain]] in the neck.]]
*The ODST [[Action Figure]], made by Joyrider 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.
*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 sheath 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.
*In ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'', the character [[Buck]] can be seen wearing a combat knife on his chest plate.

== 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]]
[[Category:Weapons]]