The Qinzhou, the second Type 054B frigate of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, conducts a combat exercise at an undisclosed sea area in the South China Sea shortly after its commissioning in the first half of 2025. Photo: Screenshot from China Central Television

The second Type 054B frigate, the Qinzhou, was recently commissioned into the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and conducted a combat drill in the South China Sea, official media reported on Sunday.

During the exercise, the Qinzhou undertook several challenging courses in an undisclosed sea area in the South China Sea. During its first live-fire session, it directly struck and sank a towed target, according to a report by China Central Television (CCTV) on Sunday.

Footage from the CCTV report showed that the Qinzhou, with the hull number 555, firing its main gun and its 11-barreled 30 mm close-in weapon system.

Training intensity aboard the newly commissioned vessel is increasing, the report noted. Ma Haiyang, a navigation officer, was quoted by CCTV as saying that the Qinzhou’s new structure and unfamiliar equipment require the crew to quickly master both the ship’s layout and specialized skills.

The Qinzhou is the second publicly known Type 054B in the PLA Navy, after the first Type 054B frigate, the Luohe, was commissioned at a military port in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province on January 22, the Xinhua News Agency reported at the time.

According to Xinhua, the Type 054B has a displacement of approximately 5,000 tons. This new-generation frigate, independently developed and constructed by China, boasts advancements in stealth technology, combat command systems and firepower integration, significantly enhancing overall performance. With strong capabilities for comprehensive combat operations and diverse military missions, the warship will play a vital role in enhancing the overall combat effectiveness of naval task forces, Xinhua said.

Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that the Type 054B is a new type of guided missile frigate derived from the Type 054A, giving it a larger displacement and a longer range than its predecessor, so it can carry out missions in far seas, including operations with aircraft carrier groups and fulfilling regional air defense and anti-submarine roles.

The second Type 054B frigate’s exercises in the South China Sea will allow the new warship to adjust to various sea conditions and boost combat capabilities, Zhang Junshe said, noting that the first Type 054B frigate previously conducted drills in the Yellow Sea, according to official media reports.

Calling the Type 054B one of the world’s most advanced frigates, Zhang Xuefeng, another Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that the Type 054B not only has balanced anti-submarine, anti-ship and air defense capabilities, but also achieved a cost-effective design through the use of new technologies.

This makes the Type 054B a strong candidate for mass production, enabling the PLA Navy to field more units in response to diverse maritime threats, Zhang Xuefeng added.

In August 2023, when asked to confirm the Type 054B frigate's launch at the time, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense, said at a regular press conference that it is a normal arrangement eyeing national security needs and the comprehensive development of the PLA Navy that the PLA Navy develops equipment including main combat vessels according to related plans.

The goal is to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests, and better safeguard world and regional peace and stability, the spokesperson said at the time, noting that China always follows a path of peaceful development, and unswervingly adheres to a national defense policy that is defensive in nature.