China commissioned its first Type 054B guided-missile frigate in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Wednesday morning, according to the People's Liberation Army Navy.

The Navy said in a news release that the CNS Luohe was delivered to the North Sea Fleet at a commissioning ceremony at a naval port in Qingdao. Officials from the Navy and the city government of Luohe, Henan province, as well as representatives from China State Shipbuilding Corp, the ship's builder, attended the event, it added.

According to the Navy, the Luohe, with the hull number 545, is the first of a new generation of frigates and is important to the Navy's transformational development.

The Type 054B has a displacement of nearly 5,000 metric tons and has better capabilities than its predecessor Type 054A in all aspects. It features technological breakthroughs in stealth, combat command, firepower control and other functions, and can better conduct naval battles and other missions. Its service will extensively bolster the naval fleet's overall operational ability, the Navy said.

Currently, the Navy's frigate forces mainly consist of Type 054A ships, which began to be deployed in 2008.

According to pictures published by the Navy, the Luohe has 32 vertical launching cells that can fire multiple kinds of missiles and rocket-assisted torpedoes, eight anti-ship missile launch tubes, a main gun with a caliber of 100 millimeters that is more powerful than the 76-mm model on the Type 054A frigate, and several close-in weapon systems.

Xiao Liang, a senior hardware researcher in the nation's shipbuilding industry, said the Type 054B is the largest class of frigate the Navy has ever used and is almost as big as some of China's old-type destroyers.

"Its large size allows for carrying more munitions and fuel, and also means this new class has bigger potential for further upgrade," Xiao said. "Its propulsion system enables it to sail farther than other Chinese frigates. Another remarkable point is the new type's radar system, which, without any exaggeration, makes previous radars of its kind look like antiques.

"Compared with previous frigate models in China that are mainly tasked with anti-submarine operations, the Type 054B is also capable of performing fleet air-defense missions," he added.

Meanwhile, the larger air-service zone means the new frigate can bring a bigger helicopter such as the Z-20, and that will give the ship a better capability to detect, track and hit hostile submarines, according to Xiao.

He also said that as the PLA Navy continues to extend its reach to safeguard world peace and stability and protect China's interests, there will be more large, advanced frigates for the Navy.

[email protected]