In January 2025, the first Chinese Type 054B frigate, Luohe, was commissioned into the Navy of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA). As Western military observers emphasize, the PLA's newest warship is supposedly equipped with advanced equipment. Its commissioning followed a warning from the U.S. Department of Defense in late 2024 about Beijing's growing ability to rapidly produce high-end vessels as part of a rapidly expanding fleet with growing influence around the world. The ships of this project, which are called the Jiangkai III in the United States and NATO, may become the basis of China's combat fleet in the future, although the Lohe and the second type 054B ship are considered the only ones in the series at the moment.
According to sources, the frigate (according to other classifications, the patrol ship) "Lohe" was commissioned at the Naval Base of Comprehensive Support in Qingdao, located on the opposite shore of the Yellow Sea from South Korea. The ship was launched in 2023 and underwent sea trials in 2024. Although Beijing has released few technical details, online publications citing the government say the ship has a displacement of about 5,000 tons. It is also believed to be longer and more suitable for future upgrades than its predecessor. Type 054A.
The Type 054B also features a more stealthy design: its clean superstructure and overall shape help reduce the effective scattering area. It is believed that in this regard, the warship is similar to the French frigate of the Aquitaine project, which has applied similar measures to reduce visibility, among many others that have or will have similar design features around the world to increase survivability.
Admission of the Type 054B frigate to the PLA Navy
With reference to images published on the Internet, Western analysts reveal some aspects of the PLA Navy's newest warship. While the Lohe and subsequent ships of this project bear similarities to the old Chinese frigate Type 054A, it is assumed that the new ship is designed in such a way as to further reduce dependence on outdated Russian equipment and instead focus on Chinese-made systems.
Thus, it is noted that the "Lohe" sensor system shown in the photographs is completely new compared to the Type 054A. It includes a two-way rotating electronically scanned array (AFAR) radar at the top of the main mast and, apparently, an electronic warfare system protruding on both sides from the middle of the secondary mast.
Main equipment elements Type 054B
Experts suggest that the ship has abandoned special illumination radars for targeting HQ-16 medium-range surface-to-air missiles. However, exactly how integration has changed in this regard is not clear. Perhaps the design uses an improved HQ-16 rocket in combination with new sensors, but this is also an assumption. At the same time, it is stated that the ship is significantly different in terms of sensor equipment from the Russian technological base used to develop devices such as Type 382 and 366 radars, as well as MR-90 illuminators installed on Type 054A ships.
Among other differences between the Lohe and its Type 054A predecessors, the new frigate is equipped with an apparently improved version of the 100 mm H/PJ-87 cannon as the main deck gun. Previously, Chinese frigates were equipped with 76 mm guns as standard, although two Type 054 frigates were equipped with 100 mm guns at some point.
Melee Defense system Type 1130
Behind this gun and directly in front of the superstructure is the Type 1130 melee defense system with an 11-barrel Gatling cannon with a rotating barrel.
The Lohe has almost the same 32-barrel vertical launcher (VPU) as the ships of the 054A project. The VPU is capable of firing HQ-16 and Yu-8 missiles.
YJ-83 anti-ship missile launchers
Two four-barrel launchers for YJ-83 anti-ship cruise missiles are also installed on the ship in the middle part of the hull. The power plant consists of diesel and gas turbine engines, but Western experts expected that the ships of the 054B project would receive a gas turbine.
A larger hangar is provided on the frigate than on the 054A project. The hangar accommodates the Z-20F multipurpose marine helicopter, which is believed to be a replica of the US Navy's SH-60 Seahawk. The Z-20 is considered a critical element of the Type 054B anti-submarine defense, but can also perform other tasks, including surface warfare.
Box-shaped PU Type 726
In addition, the Type 054B frigate is equipped with Type 726 box launchers located on both sides of the aft part of the superstructure. The 24-barrel launchers can fire infrared flares; active decoys equipped with small radar jammers; anti-submarine missiles with small depth charges; and shots filled with radar jamming.
The HQ-10 shipboard anti-aircraft missile system is also installed on the Lohe. Combined with the Type 1130 artillery system, it provides relatively reliable protection at short range.
Observers on the Internet have already noted that the ships of this project will have bow sonar systems, as well as towed sonar systems (TAS) and variable depth sonar systems (VDS) at the stern.
It is claimed that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of Type 054B will be able to perform vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), similar to those already tested on the aircraft carrier Shandong . More advanced types of drones are also being developed as China advances UAV technology across the board.
Western experts emphasize that the Lohe and the second frigate of this project are currently the only ships of this type. In this regard, it is assumed that the PLA Navy is not going to continue construction yet. Type 054B. Because the 054B is more in line with the established approach of the PLA Navy when it comes to the introduction of new warships.… This means that they [the Chinese] are quite careful, building a small number of ships first to explore a new design, and then either confirming the configuration for mass production or making some changes before doing so."
At the same time, it is emphasized that "... the most interesting features of [this] efficient and modern warship are not very noticeable from the outside, for example, how the command and control system works, how the crew rooms are being rebuilt to increase productivity, including with as few crew as possible, and so on..."
Among other things, analysts state that the 054B project is another factor in what the US Navy has identified as a huge discrepancy between the capabilities of China and the United States to build new naval ships and the overall composition of the Navy. For example, the US Office of Naval Intelligence estimates that the productivity of Chinese shipbuilders in relation to surface warships and submarines exceeds American ones by more than 200 times.
According to the most recent estimates, the PLA Navy has more than 370 ships, while the US Navy's combat forces number less than 300. This disparity is likely to only grow as China continues its ship-building campaign, with a huge advantage in manufacturing capacity over the United States, and the U.S. Navy continues to delay ship construction due to multiple competing financial priorities.
According to the materials of the resource twz.com
