Abstract: A novel phased array is proposed based on pattern reconfigurable antenna element in this letter and thescanning characteristics of uniform and nonuniform phased arrays are studied. By shifting operating states and adjusting theexcitation of the elements, the uniform array can obtain a good radiation performance such as low side lobes, and thenonuniform array can scan its main beam from -80o to +80o with 3 dB beam coverage of 176o and with low side lobes. Thestudies indicate that the pattern reconfigurable antenna has a tremendous potential in phased array applications.