China’s first Type 054B frigate, the Luohe, was commissioned into the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) on Wednesday. The ship class, referred to by the U.S. and NATO as the Jiangkai III class, could eventually become the backbone of China’s combat fleet in the future,

Now that China’s latest frigate has been commissioned with the PLAN, the vessel joins around 233 other warships in the fleet. Beijing achieved yet another naval milestone this week when the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) debuted the first of two next-generation frigates.