CHÁRON (2-CH-00)

Since the year 2000, the Chrudim airborne battalion has been equipped with the knife designated 2-CH-00 CHÁRON. Soldiers purchase the knife at their own expense and it is always ceremonially presented with a decree. Cháron was manufactured from spring steel 14260.

On the left side of the blade is the motto "POT ŠETŘÍ KREV" ("Sweat saves blood"). On the right side of the blade are the logos of the designer and manufacturer and the serial code CH-213-04: CH is the production series, 213 is the serial number within the series, 04 is the year of manufacture 2004. The lower part of the blade features a saw for cutting parachute cord, and the upper part has a thumb rest. Between the blade and the handle is a one-sided steel guard bearing the battalion insignia. The design was created by Ing. Roman Hippík, and Cháron was produced by knifemaker Lubomír Maďarič of Brno. The prototype of the Cháron knife can be seen HERE.

The sheath is made from black natural leather consisting of five layers stitched together and secured with six rivets — one layer of leather is 3 mm thick. In addition to the standard closure, the sheath also features a "running lock". On the back side, it has a lower loop for attaching to the thigh. The front side is embossed with the logo of the 43rd Airborne Battalion from Chrudim, and the back side bears the logo of the sheath manufacturer Hess Brno.

From 2020 onwards, the production of Cháron knives has been handled by the 43rd Airborne Battalion itself. The knives are now made from premium powder steel K-390. One structural change was also made — the leather rings on the handle are no longer compressed over a thread in the pommel, but instead the pommel now has a hole for a nut that clamps the pommel to the leather rings, the same way as on the knife VO-7.

The knife sheath was also slightly modified — the back side at the bottom was reinforced and secured with two additional rivets. An interesting feature of this new series is also the existence of a series marked AFG-19, which soldiers produced during a mission in Afghanistan.