| Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Dagger |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | William Ewart Fairbairn andRex Applegate |
| Designed | 1941 |
| Manufacturer | Al Mar Knives,Blackjack Knives,Gerber Legendary Blades,Böker |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 11 inches (28 cm) |
| Blade length | 6 inches (15 cm) |
| Blade type | Dagger |
| Hilt type | lexan |
| Scabbard/sheath | leather |
| Head type | Brass |
TheApplegate–Fairbairn fighting knife is acombat knife designed by ColonelRex Applegate andWilliam E. Fairbairn as a version of theFairbairn–Sykes fighting knife.
While Applegate was a student of Fairbairn, he came up with a series of modifications to Fairbairn's Dagger and worked with Fairbairn on implementing them. Applegate first approachedRandall Made Knives with their design.
Bo Randall made a handful of prototypes based on his "Model 2 Dagger" and sent them to soldiers for field testing; they proved not to be popular with the troops and Randall declined to produce the knife beyond the original prototypes.[1]
Applegate took the design to custom knifemakerBill Harsey, Jr. who made several prototypes forAl Mar Knives.[2] In 1995, Harsey would design a folding version forGerber Legendary Blades, which won the 1996 InternationalBlade Show "American Made Knife of the Year" award.[3]
After Al Mar ceased production of the A–F fighting knife, a number of variations were made by Blackjack Knives, Gerber andBöker Knives, all with limited degrees of success.[2] The US Military Stock Number for the Gerber folding version is NSN: 5110-01-436-1548.
The Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife's blade has a similar double-edgeddagger profile, but is wider and more durable.
It features a different handle, made most commonly of Lexan plastic with adjustable lead weights which can change the knife's balance-point.
Later models and some custom variants included weights made from pure Teflon, tungsten, stainless steel and aluminum. The blade profile was also changed from a V-grind to a convex, or "appleseed" profile.
While this changed the effectiveness of the blade in puncturing, cutting and slicing, it does not lend itself to being sharpened in the field by an inexperienced user. In addition to these modifications, the tang was also strengthened.[4]
The current production model made by Böker in Solingen, Germany, uses a fiberglass reinforced delrin handle which solves the issues with earlier models where the handle would crack if exposed to heat.
The post World War 2 UK-SFK (United Kingdom Special Forces Knife) was designed by Micheal Janich specifically for and issued to British special forces and followed the Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife blade design with a differing grip borrowed from the XFS-1 dagger designed by Brent Beshara.
