User:The All-knowing Sith'ari/M27 Bayonet

The M27 Bayonet is the standard-issue multi-purpose utility knife and bayonet adopted for use by the UNSC Army and Marine Corps in 2505, and as such has been in active service for seventy years. Originally designed for use with the MA5 assault rifle, it can also be used with the BR55 series of battle rifles.

Design
The bayonet is issued with camouflaged sheath that, like all UNSC equipment, can switch between camouflage patterns with a command from the user's neural interface. The sheath maybe attached to the user's webbing or chestplate depending on the user's preference.

The bayonet maybe used either as a handheld melee weapon or mounted over the barrel of an MA5 or BR55 rifle. Unlike more conventional bayonets, which are under-barrel weapons, the M27 is designed to be mounted straight onto the MA5's barrel over the muzzle brake. This design decision was taken in order to extend tha bayonet's reach: Because of the bullpup design of the MA5, this results in it being shorter than a conventional rifle, which UNSC troops found left them at a disadvantage in bayonet combat with Insurrectionists, who possessed longer, conventional rifles. As such, the bayonet's hilt is constructed of thermosetting polymer-coated titanium, which prevents it from melting, and has spaces arranged so that the muzzle brake can still function effectively with the bayonet on.

The blade is made from corrosion-resistant titanium alloy with an anti-flash coating. It is serrated, allowing it to cause more damage upon being thrust into the body, and possesses a clip point which allows a quicker, and thus deeper, puncture upon insertion. The edges on each side of the clip point are at different angle, giving the blade "rib-splaying capability". The blade is fullered on each side, which allows the bayonet to be quickly removed from a body: The torso is a sealed unit. Thus, when a foreign object is thrust into it, a vacuum will be created which sucks the surrounding tissue in, sticking the blade in place. The fuller creates an air gap which allows the blade to be removed more easily. Because of the bayonet's nature, the emphasis is on quick thrusts and stabs rather than slashes, and due to humanitarian conventions of war, the blade must be blunted when not in theatre.

Tactics
When fighting Humans, the preferred kill strike areas are the chest to puncture the heart, and the blood vessel-rich neck. A stab to the neck will puncture the trachea and the carotid artery and jugular vein, starving the lungs and brain of oxygen and quickly causing death. If using the bayonet as a hand-held knife, the "hammer grip" is typically used to provide enough force to drive the blade through flesh and bone. Should one wish to quietly disable a sentry, the "sabre grip" is typically used. Holding the blade in the dominant hand, one should move up behind the sentry, cover the mouth, force him to his knees, stab the blade through the side of his neck just behind the "Adam's Apple", before pulling it out through the front of the neck. Slitting the throat is an undesirable method to use, as too shallow a cut will result in a loud death rattle-like sound as air bubbles through the spilt blood. Other targets of opportunity include the major arteries in the groin, legs, or under the armpit.

Tactics had to be adapted when fighting the Covenant. Chest strikes on Unggoy were usually not possible due to their bulky refrigeration suits, so UNSC personnel were advised to strike at the neck or blood vessel-rich lower forearms. Another tactic developed during the Second Battle of Harvest was to try and sever one of the tubes connecting the methane reservoir to the Unggoy's gas mask and leave him to suffocate.

In the case of Kig-yar, which have fairly fragile, hollow bones due to their avian ancestry, soldiers were advised that a quick thrust just below the neck would be enough to crack the spinal cord. Chest strikes were not advised due to the large keel bone that Kig-yar have inherited from their avian ancestors. In the event of encountering Kig-yar with energy shields, multiple hits from the butt of the rifle are enough to temporarily disable the shield, before running the bayonet through the neck.

Due to the superior quality of Sangheili armour, their height and great upper body strength, it was unadvisable to get into hand-to-hand combat with one. In the event of such an occurance, however, soldiers were advised to thrust upwards and strike either at the neck or up through the mandibles into the roof of the mouth, piercing the brain.

Hand-to-hand combat encounters with Jiralhanae were rare in the First Great War, for obvious reasons. Dissections of captured corpses revealed that the Jiralhanae possessed an ape-like body structure, with similar priorities for organs and the nervous system. Soldiers were therefore advised to stab at the testicles, followed by a jab at the neck or chest while the Jiralhanae was incapacitated. Some shorter soldiers also chose to thrust at the knees, forcing the Jiralhanae down to a more convienent height for a neck strike.

Quotes

 * I've been fighting since 2515. Innies, Covies, Bravo Kilos, all of 'em, and I've had to replace all my original kit except this. My M27's been with me every step of the way.