HandAx insted of bayonet

[Chicahiro Ishida]

How about for infantry, not bayonet or 6"or7" knives, but handAx?
I feel new military rifles do'nt think bayonet fighting.
If so, why they carry 7" blade knife?
To cut hard wood or metal,and to dig, handAx is much better. For fighting, needless to say.
Why do they need large knife include M9 MPBS?

 

[Dark Nemesis]

Anyone in the military would be better to answer this obviously. However many of the enlisted men I've talked to say that their bayonet system gets used a lot. Between the knife itself and the multi-purpose sheath there are many tasks it can perform.

 

[not2sharp]

Bayonets still have a role within the military. Although, forming squares to repel cavalry charges is now a thing of the past, the bayonet is still employed to control crowds, prisoners, etc. Besides, a seven inch knife is much more versatile than a hand axe.