Support Equipment

Fixed launch facility

Also known as

fixed silo launcher
fixed launch site

The fixed launch facility is a static ballistic-missile launch site named in a 2026 MDAA issue brief as an alternative launch platform for the Burkan-3/Zolfaghar extended-range MRBM line. The same brief contrasts fixed launch sites with road-mobile transporter-erector-launchers and says fixed launchers are more vulnerable to detection and attack.

Fixed launch facility, Fixed silo launcher, Support Equipment

Image source: Nuclear Missile Silo (7332367192).jpg

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Iran
Built by: Not publicly identified
Type: Fixed silo launcher

Specifications

Launch mode: Static fixed launch facility or silo
Mobility: Not road-mobile
Alternative platform: Road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher / fixed launch facility
Documented missile family: Burkan-3 / Zolfaghar extended-range MRBM line
Vulnerability note: Fixed launch sites are described as more vulnerable than road-mobile launchers
Public mix: The relative mix of road-mobile and fixed silo-based Zolfaghar systems is unclear in public reporting

Launched Missiles

The same issue brief lists Burkan-3/Zolfaghar as a missile line that can use a fixed launch facility instead of a road-mobile launcher.

Launched item

Item type

Launch evidence

Burkan-3 ballistic missile, Medium-range ballistic missile, Munitions

Burkan-3 ballistic missile

Medium-range ballistic missile

The MDAA issue brief names a fixed launch facility as the alternative launch platform for the Burkan-3/Zolfaghar extended-range MRBM line.

Sources: MDAA Zolfaghar SRBM issue brief

Fixed Site Role

The MDAA issue brief treats fixed launch facilities as static launch infrastructure for the Zolfaghar missile family rather than as a missile type. It lists road-mobile transporter-erector-launchers and fixed launch facilities as launch-platform options, then notes that fixed silo launch modes trade mobility for a more detectable and attackable site.

Launch role

Static launch platform or silo for Zolfaghar-family missiles, including the Burkan-3/Zolfaghar extended-range MRBM line named in the brief.

Survivability tradeoff

MDAA contrasts fixed silo launchers with road-mobile launchers and describes fixed sites as more vulnerable to detection and attack.

Public uncertainty

The same brief says the relative mix of road-mobile and fixed silo-based Zolfaghar systems is unclear from public information.

Timeline

Fixed launch facility Key Events

May 4, 2026
MDAA issue brief lists fixed launch facilities
MDAA's 2026 Zolfaghar issue brief lists fixed launch facilities as an alternative to road-mobile transporter-erector-launchers and separately notes that an unknown number of Zolfaghar SRBMs rely on fixed silos.
Sources: MDAA Zolfaghar SRBM issue brief

Media

Fixed launch facility Videos

Minuteman Missile: Delta-01 Launch Control Center Tour

Fixed launch facility Images

Fixed launch facility, Fixed silo launcher, Support Equipment - view 1 — Source: Titan Missile Museum silo view.jpg

Fixed launch facility, Fixed silo launcher, Support Equipment - view 2 — Source: Nuclear Missile Silo (7332367192).jpg

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Sources

MDAA Zolfaghar SRBM issue briefPublisher: Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance | Note: Supports the fixed launch facility launch-platform comparison, the static-vs-road-mobile distinction, the note that fixed launchers are more vulnerable than transporter-erector-launchers, and the public uncertainty around road-mobile versus fixed silo mix. | Accessed: 2026-07-02 Nuclear Missile Silo (7332367192).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the page image showing a missile silo / fixed launch-facility example. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Titan Missile Museum silo view.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the gallery image showing a missile silo / fixed launch-facility example. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Minuteman launch facility site planPublisher: National Museum of the United States Air Force | Note: Supports public-domain image provenance for the gallery cutaway of a fixed Minuteman launch facility. | Accessed: 2026-07-02