Good looking design IW.
"Doc Shiffer" and I had a good discussion about recurves a week or so ago. Recurves have become quite popular lately and have a great fuction as a "fighting knife". They offer a great bite when slashing at an opponent and even offer a bit of an advantage if used for chopping. The simple fact is that the largest percentage of soldiers will never use thier knife as a fighting knife. I'm not a SOCOM Operator, just your average everyday infantry soldier who loves and always carries a knife. Throughout my three deployments, I've yet to need a knife for fighting but I have used them for a multitood of utilitarian tasks.
The major problem IMO with recurves is that many people have a hard time sharpening them. Keep in mind that your average soldier is a knife user, but sucks at maintaining them. The majority of the soldiers I work with now and have worked with in the past have always brought thier knives to me for maintenance (sharpening and cleaning). Once again, IMO, the perfect knife for your average soldier should be a relatively simple utilitarian design that is easy to maintain. Most soldiers use thier knives for the same tasks that anyone else will use a knife for (opening boxes, cutting straps, rope, cords, etc.). The reason Rock and I each recommended smaller blades is that they are much easier to carry and use for multiple tasks.
Steve, your "Kantlooz" looks like a great little design. No need to "black it up", just anything other than BLAZE Orange, LOL.
Things I think we need to look at regardless of the design we choose are:
OAL: Approximately 10" (or less)
Blade Design: Utilitarian design which will be easy to maintain.
Handle design: "Comfortable" (nothing which will cause hot spots)
Sheath Design: Simple with multiple mounting configurations (ie. eyelets for use of Tek-Lok or Molle-Lok) this can be either kydex or leather, but keep in mind that leather will require maintenance in extreme heat and dust and will retain moisture during humid times.
Handle/Sheath Color: OD, tan, brown, or grey (anything not highly visible or black).
Though I have used black for sheaths for soldiers, it's not the best color to use. Keep in mind that black absorbs alot of heat when exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time and may cause distortion in kydex type material. Additionally, there's nothing worse than grabbing a black handled knife with your bare hand after being in 130 deg. heat for an hour or two.
Keep in mind, this is all just my $0.02 on the subject. I'm not an expert, but I am a soldier and I've been "down range" and know what has worked or not worked for me.