A few years after the fall of the USSR, efforts were restarted to develop an anti-tank guided missile with dual-control modes. The program was officially restarted and spearheaded in 1996 by the Konstruktorskoye Byuro Mashynostroyenia Engineering Design Bureau, or KBM for short. The project resulted in the 9M123 Khrizantema missile, which was available in both laser-beam riding and radar-beam riding variants. The design philosophy behind this was for new attack helicopters being designed during the '90s, such as the Ka-52 and the Mi-28N, to be able to launch two separate 9M123 missiles at two separate targets in different locations; one guided by radar while the other is guided with conventional laser optics. However, due to multiple reasons, chiefly delays and budget cuts during development of the Ka-52 and Mi-28N respectively, a new cheaper platform was devised for the 9M123 missile. This cheap platform was envisioned through a heavily modified version of the existing BMP-3 chassis, named the 9P157-2 Khrizantema-S. The Khrizantema-S launcher vehicle was hastily designed with simplicity but effectiveness in mind, touted by the manufacturer with the promise that "Only three defending Khrizantema-S tank destroyers are able to engage 14 attacking tanks and destroy at least sixty percent of the attacking force". The 9P157-2 Khrizantema-S had a few developmental delays and teething issues during testing, which were not ironed out for a few years, allowing it to finally enter service in 2005. Trials for an upgraded Khrizantema-SM version with better radar, electronics, and upgraded variants of the Khrizantema missile were officially completed in 2016, although it is not known if a full production order was issued for the upgraded model.

Introduced in Update "Starfighters", the Khrizantema-S is essentially an amphibious ATGM carrier based on the chassis of the familiar BMP-3. It is the spiritual successor to the previous Shturm-S, which was also an amphibious ATGM carrier based on the chassis of the MT-LB that requires good positioning behind lines to perform well. However, unlike the Shturm, the Khrizantema-S is equipped with a ground-based radar system for its 9M123 "Khrizantema" (Chrysanthemum) missiles, which can be guided by both radar and laser beams. Despite its delicate name, the 9M123 is the most powerful Russian ATGM in War Thunder with a tandem warhead penetrating 1,200 mm of RHA and a fast flight speed of 550 m/s. However the platform also has many drawbacks: the armour protection is very poor and it has no gun armament whatsoever, making it a specialist vehicle that requires caution and relies on teammate support. The Khrizantema-S is best played as a back-line sniper with its incredible optics and radar to pick off targets with its fast and punchy missiles. Effectiveness of this vehicle will rely on player's knowledge of the terrain along with anticipation of "choke points" and hot-spots on certain maps.