Volna 3R41 (Top Dome) Fire Control Radar (FCR)

The Volna 3R41 (Top Dome) Fire Control Radar (FCR) for the S-300F Surface to Air Missiles (SAM) was mounted on the Kirov Petr Velikiy and Slava class units of the Russian Navy. The radar has a modified ground-based version called "Flap Lid" 36N85; some sources mistakenly report it as Top Dome. The 9,400-ton Soviet navy Slava cruiser built in 1983 had the SAN-6b Rif-M VLS with a huge 35-ton 3R41 Volna engagement radar named Top Dome.

The 3R41 Volna is used in Slava and Kirov for guidance of S-300F. The land based 5N63S for S-300P family use backplane feed where the transmit and receive feed is located behind the phased array antenna. But 3R41 used a different arrangement referred as reflective phased array where the feed is located ahead of the array. The phasing principle of the 3R41 Volna is different from a conventional phased array radar.

Instead of individual transceiver elements, 3R41 Volna has a central feed (the nib on the center of the radome) which reflects phase-changed transmissions off a flat surface. 3R41 operates in the J-band, and applies it's phase changes to a flat array that acts as a reflector for the feed mounted on the radome. The small hemispheric radome is associated with the missile control system. The three long dielectric features on the sensor’s front are a part of some sort of diagnostic subsystem, or an ECCM device.

"Top Dome" can simultaneously control two-three missiles for a total of six SAMs in flight). The radar detects both missiles in flight and time-sharing targets through the processor. The system is seems to have a range of 55nm, but against a fighter the 40Nm are more realistic.

The S-300F / Rif system, built into the Chinese Type 051C class destroyer, consists of 6 vertical launchers, each with 8 rockets. Two launchers were installed below the bow deck, behind the bow cannon, while the remaining 4 launchers were installed in the stern hull structure, in front of the heliport. The 5V55RM single-stage rocket has a maximum range of 90 km and operates at targets at altitudes up to 30 km. The 5V55RM missile uses semi-active, radar guidance and is guided by a 3R41 Volna phase-shift target radar (NATO's Top Dome code). This radar allows guiding 12 missiles at 6 targets simultaneously.

It is a phased antenna array under a dome with a diameter of about 4 m with a fixed elevation angle and induced in azimuth. In front of the pedestal there are also three semi-cylindrical radiotransparent caps (presumably an escort transceiver through a rocket) and a small hemispherical cap.

Each radar serves 6 (on project 1144 cruisers) or 8 (on project 1164 cruisers) vertical missile launcher drums and is capable of simultaneously directing missiles at 3 targets in time sharing mode, unlike earlier Soviet naval air defense systems, where each target was accompanied by a separate radar . Scanning by elevation is provided electronically [1] . For each target, simultaneous guidance of two missiles is possible.