M9 Bayonet

The M9 bayonet is an American multi purpose knife and bayonet officially adopted in 1986 by the United States Armed Forces for use with the M16 rifle. It was designed by Charles A. Mickey Finn at his company Qual-A-Tec, whose entry beat more than 49 competitors in the adoption trials as the only design with a zero percent failure rate. The bayonet is 12 inches long overall with a seven inch clip point blade and doubles as a multi tool capable of cutting wire, slicing metal, opening bottles and serving as a screwdriver, with a sheath that also functions as a wire cutter. Production, handled over the years by Phrobis III, Buck Knives, LanCay, Ontario Knife Company and Tri-Technologies, has exceeded 405,000 units since 1986. The M9 has seen service in Panama, the Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq, and it remains in use with the United States and a number of allied nations.