Aboard was placed a collection of sensors and processing systems that included the Thales DRBV 51A series air-surface-search radar, the Thales DRBC-32E Fire Control directing radar and the Thales "Diodon" hull-mounted sonar. A Thales DR2000 S3 series suite and Thales "Alligator 51" jammer formed the important electronic warfare and decoy fit.
Armament was centered on 4 x MM38 "Exocet" anti-ship missile launchers, these being French designed and developed surface-attack weapons. This was backed by the more conventional, projectile-minded 1 x 100mm /55 caliber Mod 1968 Dual-Purpose (DP) turreted deck gun installed over the forecastle (in the "A" position). Anti-aircraft protection was modest through 1 x 40mm Bofors autocannon in a twin-gunned mounting, 2 x 20mm Oerlikon autocannons in single-gunned mountings and 2 x 12.7mm Colt M2 (Browning) Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) in single-gunned mountings. 2 x 324mm ILAS-3 triple torpedo tubes were also carried to round out the armament suite.
ARA Drummond was commissioned into the Argentine Navy on November 9th, 1978 and was assigned the homeport of Mar del Plata in Eastern Argentina. She became a veteran of the Falklands War against Great Britain in 1982 when, along with ARA Granville, she took up a position northeast of Port Stanley to protect the amphibious assault approaches there on April 2nd. Drummond and her two sisters then formed part of Task Group 79.4 with the goal of tracking and engaging the British task force as located. The corvettes outran the British submarine HMS Splendid during its search for the aircraft carrier ARA Veinticinco de Mayo on April 29th and, beyond these relatively notable actions, ARA Drummond managed to survive the war relatively unscathed despite the decisive British victory.
In 1983, an Exocet anti-ship missile was fired from her launchers to help sink the decommissioned Fletcher-class destroyer "Almirante Doemcq Garcia" off the coast of Mar del Plata. The submarine ARA San Luis also contributed a torpedo in this non-combat action. In 1985, her pennant number changed to become "P-31" as a result of the arriving German-built Espora-class corvette warships (six in all were received, operating from 1985 onwards). During 1994, she was used (along with USN and Polish assets) in a blockading action against Haiti during "Operation uphold Democracy". The operation led to a peaceful occupation of Haiti and the reinstatement of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Like other ships in the depleted Argentine Navy ranks, ARA Drummond rarely sails today (2018) due to a lack of funds and the resources needed to get the ship underway and maintain an active presence in Argentina waters. The services has also found it hard to maintain its naval training programs which have only worsened the condition of the Navy as a whole.
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