9P157-2 Khrizantema-S
It will be a long-range missile tank destroyer with a twin ATGM launcher. Much like the BMP-3, whose chassis it borrows, the Khrizantema will be quite agile and will accelerate well thanks to the combination of its low weight (19 tons) and a powerful engine (500hp UTD-29) – its maximum speed will be somewhere around 70 km/h. Protection-wise, we’re looking at aluminum armor reinforced with steel with the front of the vehicle being able to withstand roughly 30mm autocannons. The other sides of the hull are protected against machine guns. The Khrizantema will be all about long-range firepower. It will feature an extended twin missile launcher. The launcher will have a limited arc of fire (85 degrees to each side from the vehicle’s axis), will depress to -5 degrees, and elevate to +15 degrees.
The development of a next-generation anti-tank guided missile for the Soviet Union started as early as the 1980s, but the first Khrizantema (“Chrysanthemum”) ATGMs became available only after its fall, in 1996. These laser-guided missiles were very advanced for their time, but also quite expensive, preventing its proliferation. They come with two warhead types – tandem HEAT (9M123 and 9M123-2) and thermobaric (9M123F and 9M123F-2).
The 9M123 Khrizantema ATGMs are relatively large (they are 2.04m long) with their caliber being 152mm. Their parameters are as follows:
Minimum range: 500m
Maximum range: 5km (later improved to 6km, but reduced to 3.5km at night)
Missile weight: 46kg (8kg falls to the HEAT warhead)
Flight speed: cca 400 m/s (note how this is considerably faster than some other missiles)
Tandem HEAT warhead penetration: cca 1250mm after defeating ERA
They are fairly universal and can be launched from the Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopter and a launching platform called Khrizantema-S.
The Khrizatema-S is a dedicated tank killer with advanced optics and electronics and a dual launcher that extends from its BMP-3-based hull (the vehicle even retains BMP-3’s ability to swim). It can track several targets at once and devastate them at long distances while the main body can safely stay behind cover.
The hull is made of aluminum, much like the one of the BMP-3 IFV. It is, however, reinforced with steel plates at the most exposed places, which does not make the vehicle lose its amphibious capability. It weighs roughly 18.7 tons and has a crew of two – one driver and one weapon system operator.
The first Khrizantema-S prototype appeared in public as early as 1996 (during the EUROSATORY expo in Paris) with the initial production variant (9P157) entering service in 2005. Around 2010, an upgraded variant called 9P157-2 appeared with a modernized Ukrainian optics system and a hull machinegun the original model lacked. This variant was in use until 2017.
Recently, another modernized 9P157-2 variant appeared, featuring a new Belarusian optics system, a thermal imager, improved missiles, and electronics. It went through the state trials and was accepted in service around 2017-2018. Additionally, the original 9P157 Khrizantemas were (or are being) upgraded to the same optics system in order to increase their combat value.
In battle, Khrizantema-S units operate as long-range tank hunters both in offense and defense. According to Russian sources, they are capable of destroying any western tank at 6km or so. 79 vehicles of this type were built to date, with:
28 9P157 in Russian service (upgraded with the Belarusian optics)
37 vehicles used by Azerbaijan (9P157-2 with Ukrainian optics, 3 of these may be 9P-157-3 command vehicles)
14 vehicles were sold to Libya between 2010 and 2013
The Libyan vehicles have definitely seen some combat during the Libyan Civil War, although the results of their deployment and their losses are unclear.