In the 1940s, Plant No. 112 Krasnoye Sormovo's design bureau, headed by R. E. Alekseev, was actively engaged in applying hydrofoils to sea and river vessels. This work aroused great interest among the military. In 1947, the plant received an order to retrofit the TK-697 Project 123-bis boat with two shallow-draft hydrofoils based on the A-7 design. The 1948 prototype received positive feedback from the commission but still had poor hydrodynamic qualities and insufficient stability.

Work on the hydrofoil project continued but was now based on the new M123-bis modification. In 1950, two more boats were equipped with hydrofoils on for trials: TK-981 was outfitted with improved, double hydrofoils based on the A-11 project, and TK-982 received only the A-10 bow hydrofoil. The A-10 design showed the best characteristics in the tests, and the government commission recommended it as the basis for modernizing serial boats. After modifications, the A-10bis design was adopted for mass production, and a small series of six shallow-draft boats based on the Project 123K design was produced.

The Pr.123K (A-10bis) was introduced in Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea". Unlike its wingless counterparts, this boat is more stable in rough seas and faster, but it is still extremely vulnerable, so it favors flanking attacks.