Patrol boat P730 "La Combattante"

Arghail · August 27, 2023, 2:06am

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Gunboat P730 La Combattante

About this ship and its interest in War Thunder

This is the French equivalent to the Saetta. With a couple bofors and small missiles, it would make a perfect high tier ship for a coastal tree.

The P730 “Combattante”

La Combattante was a unique patrol boat conceived in 1960, laid down in 1961, and launched in 1963, before entering service in 1964. She was built by the Amiot shipyard, also known as CMN shipyard (Construction Mécanique de Normandie). Starting march 1964, her main bases were Toulon, Djibouti, Papeete, Toulon again, and then she was given to the Gendarmerie maritime in 1985, and was based in the city of Cherbourg, Normandie. She then sailed as a true patrol ship for a decade, after which she was stripped of her weapons in 1996, and finally dismantled in 2014.

This very special ship had several particularities. It was used as a platform to test several experimental technologies for futur French ships.

Her first particularity was her hull, which was nonmagnetic as it was made of glued laminated timber. The idea was to limit interference in the context of noise hunting using radars, mostly to hunt underwater mines. It was mostly thanks to the early tests on the Combattante that the Circé class of mine hunter were born afterwards, and equipped the French navy during the 1970’s.

The second particularity of this ship was her armament : The ship was the first missile platform of the French navy, on which were tested successively for naval purpose the SS-11 anti-tank missiles in 1965 , the SS-12 anti-ship missiles in 1966, and finally, the Exocet missiles in 1974. The idea here would be to give her either in-game SS-11 or SS-12 missiles, since those specific two missiles were kept even after the tests, and became part of its official armament until she was given to the gendarmerie maritime in 1985 (at which point she was stripped of most of its armament aside from a 40mm and two 50. cals.)

Fun fact : the Ship gave birth to a program for 12 Steel-made patrol boats of the same style which were supposed to be built for Israel in 1965. However, the deterioration of French-Israelian relationships forced president de Gaulle to cancel the sale of those boats to Israël in 1969… And, the same year, mysteriously, 5 of the patrol boats disappeared, and reemerged in the Israelian navy. This “incident” put an end to the steady supply of weapons and war machines by France toward Israel. Not only that, but the Combattante was actually the prototype of a serie of bigger, better armed missile patrol boats meant for export, which were sold to the German and Hellenic navy : The Combattante II, AKA. Tiger class fast attack craft for the German navy, and the Combattante III class of fast attack crafts for the Hellenic navy.

General Characteristics :

Displacement : 180 long tons (standard), 230 long tons (max)

Length : 45 meters

Beam : 7.35 meters

Draft : 2. 45 meters

Propulsion : 2 Diesels SEMT-Pielstick

Speed : 23 knots

Autonomy : 2000 miles at 12 knots

Crew : 26

Armament :

2 x 40mm BOFOR guns

2 x 50. cal MGs

1 x 4 Anti-ship missiles mounted on a ramp (SS 12 anti ship missiles) OR 1 x 1 Exocet MM 38 missile

6 x Rocket flares mounted on ramps (replaces one of the BOFOR guns)

Regarding the SS-12 missile :

Spoiler

Type	Surface-to-surface or air-to-surface missile
Specifications
Weight	76 kg
Length	1.87 m
Diameter	180 mm (body) 210 mm (warhead)
Warhead	OP3C AP delayed Warhead (20mm pen) OR HEAT warhead (anti-tank) OR frag warhead (28kg)
—
Engine	solid fuel rocket
Wingspan	650 mm
Operational
range	7000/8000 m
Speed	370 km/h
Guidance system : MCLOS
Steering
system	thrust deflection