It was mounted on a fully stabilized platform, allowing it to produce a steady image in all but the highest sea states.

Other 3D radars of the era generally picked one solution or the other, using a network of separate feedhorns or a single vertically scanning feed.

[2] A key part of the overall Type 984 installation was the Comprehensive Display System (CDS), an electromechanical computer that developed "tracks" for aircraft in a semi-automated fashion.

In several tests against US Navy aircraft during military exercises, the combination of the 984's high scanning rates and the CDS' tracking made the ships impossible to approach without being intercepted.

As the design matured its weight continued to grow, ultimately reaching 30.5 long tons (31.0 t), making it too heavy for most ships.