Ballistic knife

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A ballistic knife is a knife with a detachable blade that can be expelled from the handle/frame as a projectile commonly propelled by a spring-operated or gas-driven mechanism. These knives are banned almost nationwide in the United States.

1 Lethality
2 Uses
3 Legality
4 References

[edit] Lethality

Ballistic knives are not considered to be particularly effective weapons, especially as when compared to a firearm of similar availability. Indeed, the main advantage of a ballistic knife is its ability to surprise a target. If used toward the enemy's face, a user would gain a momentary advantage and opportunity to relieve the enemy of his weapon.

[edit] Uses

Ballistic knives, manufactured by the USSR company Ostblock, were supplied in large numbers to the Soviet special forces group Spetsnaz throughout the 1980s.

Ballistic knives are used as covert "stealth" weapons when a firearm is not appropriate. The Russian Spetznaz ballistic knife is a metal tube with a powerful spring to deploy the blade. The blade can be deployed and remain attached to the handle for use as a common sheath knife, or by pressing a button or pulling a pin. This will launch the blade. The spring in these knives is powerful enough to actually propel the blade effectively about 20 feet. When combined with an overhand throwing motion it will penetrate clothing and flesh. However practised knife throwers dismiss the spring advantage and often prefer standard throwing knife designs.

[edit] Legality

Unlike conventional switchblade automatic knives, which are legal to possess in 29 USA states by regular citizens and by specially qualified individuals in all 50 states, ballistic knives are highly regulated for all but a very few special military personnel and illegal nationwide.^[1] After ballistic knife sales in the U.S.A. was halted in 1986, the launching handle was made available with a small grappling hook for climbing, however the hook itself is not approved for use by DOI AM (U.S.Department of the Interior, Aviation Management) for either U.S. Military helicopter personnel tactics or civilian rappelling.

Some OTF (out the front) switchblades could be partially dismantled by removing a pin, allowing the blade to launch, but the lightweight blade was neither ballistically or aerodynamically sound, and failed to attract the interest of knife throwing practitioners.