The DH.10 was developed in the final years of the First World War in response to a requirement to equip the newly-formed Royal Air Force (RAF) with an expanded offensive bombing capability.

The origins of the DH.10 can be largely traced back to April 1917 and the Air Board's issuing of Specification A.2.b, which sought a new day bomber, powered either by single or twin-engines.

A good means of communication between the crew was also mentioned, as well as for the aircraft to be capable of staying afloat for at least three hours in the event of a water landing.

The proposal was heavily derived from the company's earlier 320 hp (240 kW) DH.3A bomber, which had flown in 1916 but had been rejected by the War Office largely due to a lack of engine power resulting in a dismal climb rate - taking 58 minutes to reach 6,500 feet, which made strategic bombing with it impractical, while the other submission for the role, the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.4 had fared even worse.

[7] Originally, the first flight had been intended to occur in January 1918, but its completion had been delayed due to labour issues and the late delivery of components.

It demonstrated superior performance, proving to be faster than the single engine Airco DH.9A while carrying twice the bomb load, that the company decided to adopt the tractor configuration for all future aircraft.

[12] By 22 March 1918, production contracts had been placed with five separate manufacturers, covering a total of 800 aircraft, even prior to the completion of the first prototype's evaluation.

104 Squadron (41st Wing, VIII Brigade) flew a single bombing mission, on 10 November 1918, prior to the Armistice that ended the First World War came into effect.

[12] In September 1918, the IAF filed a request for greater endurance, leading to a 40-gallon auxiliary tank being rapidly designed and deployed one month later.

[20] The type provided support to the Army on the North-West Frontier, and saw active combat in this capacity, performing bombing operations on multiple occasions during the Third Anglo-Afghan war.

216 Squadron in Egypt, where they provided a regular air mail service between Cairo and Baghdad; this started on 23 June 1921, the type was withdrawn from the role during 1923.

[7][20] The final DH.10 in operation was used for experimental purposes, including a series of single-engine test flights, with the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough Airfield.

[21] A DH.10B designation existed but what it referred to is uncertain; Bruce suggests a Mk III with Eagle engines replacing the Libertys mounted in same place between the upper and lower wings.