The photo shows the Chinese PLA Navy's first Type 054B guided-missile frigate Luohe (Hull 545) sailing at sea during a recent maritime combat training in the designated sea area of China's Yellow Sea in 2025. Photo: eng.chinamil.com.cn

China's first Type 054B frigate, the Luohe, has reached operational capability, as revealed in an official media report on the first anniversary of the warship's commissioning on Thursday. An expert said that the short period it took for the new-type vessel to become combat-ready is incredible.

The Luohe is the first hull of China's independently developed new-generation frigate, the Type 054B. It entered service with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy at a naval port in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province a full year ago, on January 22, 2025, the military channel of China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Thursday.

Over the past year, the Luohe has achieved breakthroughs in naval vessel stealth technology, combat command systems, as well as fire control integration, and has developed a robust capability for conducting comprehensive combat operations and diverse maritime missions, the report said.

The new-type frigate recently set sail to conduct a military training assessment for the new year. The training was designed with a realistic combat environment throughout the process, and various contingency scenarios were issued on short notice, honing the vessel's capabilities for rapid response and emergency handling, according to the CCTV report.

The Luohe has now already achieved operational capability, and it is accelerating its integration into the PLA Navy's journey to pursue its aspirations in the deep blue and build up maritime strength, CCTV reported.

Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that after being commissioned, a warship usually would need to conduct a series of training exercises to reach a status to be declared operationally capable. As a new type of warship, the Type 054B took only a relatively short period of time to become combat-ready, which is incredible.

In the future, the Type 054B frigate Luohe is expected to conduct more training subjects, such as far seas training, or join aircraft carrier task groups, further boosting its capabilities, Wang said.

The Luohe is not the only Type 054B frigate of the PLA Navy. In May, 2025, the second hull of the Type 054B was officially unveiled, with China Military Bugle, an official media account under the PLA News Media Center, reporting at the time that the Qinzhou, a newly-commissioned Type 054B frigate, had conducted a combat-oriented training in the South China Sea.

Zhang Xuefeng, another Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that through the application of new technologies, the Type 054B frigate has achieved an excellent balance between cost-effectiveness and performance. This allows the PLA Navy to have the option to procure this type of ship in large numbers, so as to meet the operational requirements of addressing diverse maritime threats.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, the Type 054B frigate 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. 

Military affairs expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times that the Type 054B frigate is developed based on its predecessor, the Type 054A frigate. These two types of frigates can complement each other in coastal and far seas missions.