The Stratofighter might slip past your notice if you saw it on a display shelf. It’s angular and ungainly and not designed with beauty in mind, but there are some excellent tactical features in this heavy folder. In fact, if you need a pocket clip folder with the functionality of a bayonet, this is it.
One of the heavier folding knives made today, this knife opens to 10-1/2 inches and weighs a respectable 8-1/2 ounces. Considering that the handle material is T6160 aircraft aluminum, not stainless steel, you might wonder where that much weight comes from. If you think it’s the working end, you’re right — the clip point dagger blade is ground from CTV2 high carbon stainless steel a full 1/4-inch thick. Tempered to Rockwell 58 and then ice-hardened, the knife holds an edge well but obviously wasn’t intended for light work. Steel this thick penetrates.
The rest of the knife was built to support that purpose. Swing the blade open with the one-handed opening thumb stud, and it locks solidly into place with a primary locking system called RaptorLock. Based on a fifty-year-old (and field tested) fighting knife design, the primary lock is backed up with the CrisisCross cross-bolt lock. The first lock gives full support to the blade, and the second lock prevents accidental closure. Open and double-locked, you might as well call it a fixed blade.
With modern military needs in mind, Dark Ops avoided the usual handle materials and stayed with T6160 aluminum for both frame and handle slabs. Machined to provide a stable grip, the metal handle cleans up easily after contamination with any sort of chemical or biological hazard. The small handle inserts are replaceable. Coated with TiCN or titanium carbon nitride, the Stratofighter is non-reflective. The corrosion resistant treatment also sheds dust and sand — a genuine plus for an extended stay in the desert.
