Two 054B-class frigates entered service in early 2025, signalling the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has fielded a new generation of medium surface combatant. Beijing presents the class as a clear break from its immediate predecessors, with a suite of design and sensor upgrades aimed at reducing signature and increasing information-awareness at sea.
The 054B adopts a long-forecastle hull form widely seen on contemporary frigate designs to improve seakeeping and radar cross‑section. Displacement has risen to roughly 5,000 tonnes, a notable jump that buys internal volume for sensors, systems and endurance. The ships feature an integrated stealth mast housing a dual-face phased-array radar and have replaced the earlier main gun with a 100 mm mount, changes the Chinese press highlights as breakthroughs in stealth, networking and firepower.
Viewed against the earlier 054A family, the 054B’s larger hull and integrated mast point to a shift in design priorities: from compact coastal escorts toward more capable, distributed fleet units able to operate farther from Chinese shores. The new mast and dual-sided phased-array sensors suggest improved situational awareness and better integration into fleet networks, enhancing the ships’ ability to detect and track aerial and surface contacts. Increased displacement also typically reflects greater fuel stores, weapons capacity or enhanced accommodation for command-and-control systems, all of which extend operational reach.
The significance of the 054B goes beyond incremental hardware changes. Better stealth and more powerful sensors make detection harder and tracking more reliable, complicating the calculus for adversary surveillance and targeting. For regional navies and distant maritime powers, a larger number of more networked Chinese frigates will matter operationally during peacetime patrols, gray-zone competition and high-end combat operations, because they can sustain presence and contribute more effectively to task-group air defence and situational awareness.
Important questions remain. Open reporting does not specify the ship’s vertical launch systems, missile loadouts, or details of anti-submarine warfare suites—elements that determine whether the 054B will function primarily as a multi-role frigate or as a sensor-rich escort for higher-end combatants. Analysts should therefore treat the announced design features as indicators of intent and capability trajectory, while seeking corroboration from imagery, exercise deployments and official statements to build a complete assessment.