China New Luohe Frigate Tests Its Firepower in the Yellow Sea

China’s military ambitions have taken another significant leap forward as the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) successfully tested the firepower of its new stealth frigate, the Luohe, in the Yellow Sea.

Commissioned in January 2025, this state-of-the-art warship marks a defining moment not just for China’s naval strategy but for the broader balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.

The unveiling of the Luohe Frigate, part of China’s new Type 054B-class warships, sends a resounding message: Beijing is determined to dominate the seas with cutting-edge stealth and missile technology.

The recent test showcased the Luohe Frigate’s advanced vertical launch systems, sophisticated radar, and next-generation stealth features, reinforcing the rapid modernization of China’s navy.

With each deployment and successful test, the Luohe Frigate underscores Beijing’s intent to challenge the naval superiority of the United States and its allies. But how capable is the Luohe Frigate in real combat scenarios?

And does its stealth technology and firepower truly rival that of Western warships? As China pushes forward, regional tensions and global attention on the Luohe Frigate will only continue to grow.

Key Features of the Luohe

The Luohe, a Type 054B stealth frigate, was designed to emphasize stealth and firepower to strengthen China’s presence in contested waters like the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.

Measuring approximately 440 feet in length and displacing around 6,000 tons, the Luohe is noticeably larger and more advanced than its predecessor, the Type 054A. This allows for expanded combat operations in both coastal and deep-sea engagements.

One of the Luohe’s defining characteristics is its stealth-oriented design. Its structure is specifically engineered to reduce radar detectability, making it harder for adversaries to track and target. Its hull is constructed using radar-absorbent materials and features an angular superstructure, similar to Western stealth warships like the U.S. Zumwalt-class destroyers.

Read more about: How Stealth technology works

Unlike previous Chinese frigates, the Luohe is heavily armed with a 32-cell vertical launch system (VLS) that can deploy:

• YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missiles, capable of overwhelming enemy defenses.
• HQ-16 surface-to-air missiles, enhancing its air defense against enemy aircraft and incoming missiles.
• A 100 mm main gun, providing additional firepower for surface engagements.
• The Type 1130 close-in weapon system (CIWS), offers last-line missile defense against incoming threats.

This combination makes the Luohe a formidable opponent in both offensive and defensive naval warfare.

Beyond its stealth and armament, the Luohe is outfitted with cutting-edge radar and sensor technology. The ship features an S-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which provides 360-degree coverage and enhanced tracking capabilities, making it highly effective in identifying and responding to enemy aircraft, stealth fighters, and low-flying cruise missiles. This advanced situational awareness grants the Luohe a crucial advantage in modern naval combat, where real-time data processing and rapid response are essential.

How Does Luohe’s Stealth Technology Compare Globally?

Stealth technology has become a defining factor in modern naval warfare. The ability to evade enemy radar detection determines a ship’s survivability, especially in high-stakes conflicts where first strikes are often decisive. Here’s how Luhoue compared to others:

The Luohe’s stealth design significantly reduces its radar cross-section, following principles similar to the U.S. Zumwalt-class destroyer. By incorporating angular surfaces and radar-absorbent materials, the Luohe can appear as a much smaller vessel on enemy radars, enhancing its survivability in high-threat environments.

However, unlike the Zumwalt class, which employs an extreme wave-piercing tumblehome hull for further stealth enhancement, the Luohe maintains a more conventional design to balance stealth with seakeeping stability.

When compared to the U.K.’s Type 45 destroyer, which boasts the Sampson AESA radar, the Luohe’s S-band radar provides superior tracking for low-observable targets such as stealth aircraft. However, it still falls short of the highly networked, multi-domain integration of U.S. naval radar systems, which excel in simultaneous target engagement and cooperative sensor fusion across multiple platforms.

Read: Difference Between Frigates and Destroyers

In terms of firepower & combat readiness, the Zumwalt-class destroyers were designed with land-attack capabilities, whilst the Luohe is optimized for multi-role naval warfare, allowing it to excel in:

• Anti-ship warfare (thanks to its YJ-12 supersonic missiles).
• Air defense (through its HQ-16 surface-to-air missile systems).
• Coastal and deep-sea operations, giving it greater versatility than the Type 45 Destroyer, which is primarily focused on fleet air defense.

However, unlike the Zumwalt, the Luohe does not have next-generation railgun capabilities or U.S. missile defense interoperability, making it less capable in long-range strategic strikes.

What This Means for Global Security

As part of China’s North Sea Fleet, the frigate reinforces Beijing’s ambitions to expand its maritime control, particularly in contested waters where tensions with the U.S. and its allies continue to rise.

The Luohe is expected to take on a key role in patrolling sensitive flashpoints such as the Taiwan Strait, where Beijing has ramped up military maneuvers, and the South China Sea, where it continues to assert territorial claims in defiance of international law.

More significantly, the deployment of stealth frigates like the Luohe marks China’s transition from a coastal defense strategy to a blue-water navy capable of projecting power far beyond its shores.

Moreover, the expansion of China’s stealth warship fleet comes at a time when the U.S. and its allies are strengthening their own military presence in the Indo-Pacific. With initiatives like AUKUS, the Quad, and expanded joint drills with Japan and South Korea, Washington is positioning itself to counter China’s maritime ambitions. However, China’s rapid naval modernization, exemplified by the Luohe, suggests that Beijing is preparing to meet these challenges head-on.

If China successfully commissions a full fleet of Type 054B frigates, it could significantly shift the Indo-Pacific’s naval balance. The Luohe’s stealth capabilities, combined with its advanced missile systems, will make it harder for Western forces to maintain deterrence in the region.