Eli5: Radar are built to spin around, send out, and capture a signal to create a 360 degree image of the surrounding area that regularly updates.
One would think that you could build a stationary antenna that electronically pulses and limits the area it is searching to do the same thing, removing the complication of the moving parts.
Why isn’t this the norm? And is it even possible?
In: Engineering
Modern radars can [point the beam electronically](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_electronically_scanned_array) but there are some limits. It only covers about 120°, so either it has to spin or you need 3 of them for full coverage.
Also, older tech can be just cheaper and simpler.
Latest Answers