Developed by ITT Gilfillan in Van Nuys, California, the radar was the primary sensor for the Marine Corps' Tactical Air Operations Center (TAOC) and was optimized to work in concert with the MIM-23 Hawk Missile System and the Marine Tactical Data System.

It was meant to be a next generation, mobile radar capable of supporting Marine Corps forces during amphibious operations.

They replaced the cavity magnetrons utilized on earlier radar sets.

[4] The AN/TPS-32 was delivered to Marine Air Control Squadron 3 (MACS-3) in 1969 for final operational testing.

MACS-3 was re-designated as the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA) in 1970 and continued testing.