The P-10 radar was developed and successfully tested between 1951 and 1953, incorporating the achievements of the P-8 in addition to many new improvements[1] and was accepted into operational service by the end of 1953.

The P-10 was developed by the SKB Design Bureau, a division of State Plant No.197 named after V. I. Lenin and the predecessor of the current Nizhniy Novgorod Research Institute of Radio Engineering (NNIIRT), [2] which developed the previous P-8.

Azimuth was scanned mechanically by the antenna with elevation determined using a goniometer in similar fashion to the original P-3.

A secondary radar for IFF was generally used in conjunction with the P-8 such as the NRS-12 (NATO "Score Board").

[2] The radar could also be emplaced on the ground, on a mast approximately 40 feet (12 m) tall, instead of mounted on a truck.