Chinese Navy Commissions Its First Type 054B Frigate With Advanced Capabilities

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) commissioned its first Type 054B frigate, Luohe, during a ceremony held on January 22nd, 2025 at the Qingdao Comprehensive Support Base in northern China.

The Luohe, launched in 2023, completed sea trials last year. It is described as a more advanced version of its predecessor, the Type 054A frigate.

The Type 054B is larger and more capable than the Type 054A, with an estimated displacement of around 5,000 tons. It features several upgrades, including a new design that prioritises stealth capabilities.

Its clean superstructure and overall shaping help reduce the radar cross-section, making it harder for enemies to detect.

The frigate is equipped with a variety of advanced features. It reduces the reliance on older Russian-derived equipment and focuses on indigenous technologies.

Some of the major upgrades include a new sensor array, with a two-sided rotating electronically scanned array (AESA) radar atop the main mast. The ship also features an advanced electronic warfare system on the secondary mast.

These sensors replace older Russian radars used in the Type 054A frigate.

Video Credits: CCTV Video News Agency/YouTube

The Luohe is armed with improved weaponry. It features a new 100mm H/PJ-87 gun, replacing the 76mm guns used in previous Chinese frigates.

The ship is also equipped with a Type 1130 close-in defence system with an 11-barrel Gatling-type rotary cannon for close combat.

The 32-cell Vertical Launching System (VLS) on the ship can fire HQ-16 surface-to-air missiles and Yu-8 anti-submarine missiles. The Luohe also has dual quad launchers for YJ-83 anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs).

The frigate’s propulsion system includes a combined diesel engine configuration, though some had expected a gas turbine-based system. The ship can carry the Z-20F multirole maritime helicopter, which provides critical anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities.

The Z-20F is similar to the U.S. Navy’s SH-60 Seahawk and can also perform anti-submarine warfare missions.

The Type 054B also includes Type 726 launchers for infrared decoys, active decoys, and anti-submarine rockets. These are mounted on either side of the ship’s superstructure.

The ship also features HQ-10 anti-missile systems, which are similar to the U.S.-built RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) system.

The frigate is equipped with sonar systems, including bow sonar arrays, towed-array sonar (TAS), and variable-depth sonar (VDS) at the stern. The Type 054B class could also support Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones, which are currently being tested on China’s aircraft carrier, Shandong.

Shandong is China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier deployed near the Philippines coast.

China’s FIRST Type 054B frigate was commissioned in the PLAN this morning. It’s China’s home-grown next-generation frigate with multiple combat improvements. pic.twitter.com/5hxUGkYh7S

— Li Zexin (@XH_Lee23) January 22, 2025

Despite the advanced technology, the Luohe is only one of two Type 054B frigates built so far, with the second frigate, hull number 555, expected to serve in the Southern Theater Navy.

Analysts say that the Type 054B design will be tested before a larger production run.

The Chinese navy already operates the world’s largest navy in terms of hull numbers, with more than 234 warships, including around 50 frigates and destroyers.

China has not only claimed the title of the world’s largest shipbuilding nation but it has also overthrown the historical dominance of South Korea and Japan in containership construction.

In the year 2024, China dominated the container and bulk carrier sectors with 90% and 81% of total orders, respectively. The country’s naval shipbuilding capacity is more than 230 times larger than the United States’.

Jiangnan Shipyard alone has more capacity than all the U.S. shipyards combined.

References: The War Zone, CNN

Source: Maritime Shipping News