La Combattante was a prototype French naval patrol vessel, laid down in April 1962 and launched on 20 June 1963 by Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie. She entered service on 1 March 1964, featuring an innovative non-magnetic hull made of laminated wood and plastic. Initially based in Toulon, she was later deployed to Djibouti, Papeete, and Cherbourg. Notably, La Combattante played a key role in missile trials, including the development of the Exocet. Transferred to the Maritime Gendarmerie in 1985, she was decommissioned in September 1996 after 33 years of service.

La Combattante was introduced in Update "Dance of Dragons" as the first naval vessel to be armed with HEAT warhead missiles - in this case, the SS.11. The missiles are both the vessel's most unique feature and its greatest limitation, forcing her to engage targets within a range of less than 3 km. This, combined with her slow speed and large profile, makes her prone to damage and comparatively easy to destroy, especially by destroyers found at this BR range. She is also equipped with two 40 mm Bofors guns, but lacks radar or HE-VT ammunition to effectively deal with aerial targets.