Artillery

Burkan ground launcher

Also known as
  • Ground launcher
  • Burkan launcher
  • Burkan rocket launcher
  • Burkan launch truck
  • Burkan ground launcher

The Burkan ground launcher is Hezbollah's field-expedient launch setup for Burkan heavy rockets, described in open sources as small trucks, ground bases, and double-barreled launchers used in short-range attacks from Lebanon.

Burkan ground launcher, Field-expedient rocket launcher, Artillery
Image source: Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket - From the Battlefields of Syria to Southern Lebanon

Role in Conflicts

2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict
Role in conflict
Burkan launch platform

Hezbollah used small-truck, ground, and reported double-barreled launch setups to fire Burkan rockets at Israeli border positions during the 2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Lebanon
Built by
Hezbollah
Type
Field-expedient rocket launcher
Service note
Documented in Hezbollah Burkan rocket use from 2023
Designer
Hezbollah with Iranian assistance
Designed
In Hezbollah use by 2023

Specifications

Launch mode
Small trucks, ground bases, or ground launchers
Reported arrangement
Open sources describe paired fire from a double-barreled launcher and launch trucks
Associated munition
Burkan heavy rocket
Associated rocket range
Up to 10 km
Operator
Hezbollah
Launched Munition

The launcher page covers the ground or truck launch setup associated with Hezbollah's Burkan heavy rocket.

Launched itemItem typeLaunch evidence
Burkan heavy rocket, Heavy short-range rocket, ArtilleryBurkan heavy rocketHeavy short-range rocket

Alma and Ynet describe the Burkan as launched from small trucks or ground bases, while Atlantic Council describes paired Burkan fire from a double-barreled launcher.

Sources: Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket - From the Battlefields of Syria to Southern Lebanon, Ynet $400 a rocket: Burkan is Hezbollah's new weapon against Israel, Atlantic Council Lebanon-Israel Border Escalation

Why this launcher matters

The launcher is tactically important because the Burkan rocket's short range forces it close to the border, making mobility, concealment, and rapid launch more important than a formal military launcher designation.

Sources: Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket - From the Battlefields of Syria to Southern Lebanon, INSS Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket: A New Threat?

Launcher Descriptions

The Burkan launch system is documented less like a standardized military vehicle and more like a set of field launch arrangements built around a very heavy short-range rocket. The sources agree on Hezbollah use, but describe the launcher from different angles.

Source descriptionWhat it adds
Small trucks or ground basesAlma and Ynet describe a mobile or ground-based launch method rather than a fixed named military launcher.
Double-barreled launcherAtlantic Council describes Burkan rockets being fired in pairs from a double-barreled launcher in the November 2023 fighting.
Launch trucks as a countermeasure targetINSS frames destruction of Burkan launch trucks as one offensive response to the short-range rocket threat.

Sources: Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket - From the Battlefields of Syria to Southern Lebanon; Ynet $400 a rocket: Burkan is Hezbollah's new weapon against Israel; Atlantic Council Lebanon-Israel Border Escalation; INSS Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket: A New Threat?

Timeline

Burkan ground launcher Key Events

  1. Burkan rockets appear on the northern border

    Alma reported that Hezbollah fired Burkan rockets at a northern Israeli military base, marking the launcher-and-rocket combination's entry into the current border fighting.

    Sources: Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket - From the Battlefields of Syria to Southern Lebanon, INSS Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket: A New Threat?

  2. Biranit base attacked with Burkan rockets

    Hezbollah took responsibility for firing Burkan rockets at the IDF base at Biranit; Atlantic Council described the rocket as fired in pairs from a double-barreled launcher.

    Sources: Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket - From the Battlefields of Syria to Southern Lebanon, Atlantic Council Lebanon-Israel Border Escalation

  3. Alma summarizes Burkan launch methods

    Alma's overview of Hezbollah weapons in the northern arena described Burkan rockets as launched from small trucks or a ground launcher during the Israel-Hezbollah fighting.

    Sources: Alma Hezbollah Weapons in Northern Arena

Media

Burkan ground launcher Images

Burkan ground launcher, Field-expedient rocket launcher, Artillery - view 1
Source: Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket - From the Battlefields of Syria to Southern Lebanon
Burkan ground launcher, Field-expedient rocket launcher, Artillery - view 2
Source: Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket - From the Battlefields of Syria to Southern Lebanon
Related Weapon Systems
Burkan-2H ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsMunitionsBurkan-2H ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileThe Burkan-2H is the Houthi designation for a Qiam-1-derived short-range ballistic missile used for cross-border strikes from Yemen into Saudi Arabia during the 2014 Yemen Civil War. UN, CSIS, IISS, and rights-reporting sources connect the missile to attacks on Yanbu, King Khalid International Airport, Yamama Palace, and Riyadh-area targets, making it one of the clearest examples of Iranian missile technology appearing in the Houthi arsenal.
Type 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcher, Towed 107 mm multiple rocket launcher, ArtilleryArtilleryType 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcherTowed 107 mm multiple rocket launcherThe Type 63 is a Chinese 12-tube 107 mm multiple rocket launcher designed for simple short-range area fire from a light split-trail carriage, truck mount, or derivative launcher. Developed by State Factory 847 and introduced with the PLA in 1963, the system became widely exported and copied; source-backed conflict records now show Taliban Type 63-family launcher use in Afghanistan, Boko Haram capture of a launcher in Niger, Russian Type-63 systems in Ukraine, and Houthi-aligned stocks in Yemen.
Iron Dome air-defense system, Mobile short-range air-defense system, Air DefenseAir DefenseIron Dome air-defense systemMobile short-range air-defense systemIron Dome is an Israeli mobile short-range air-defense system built by Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries to detect, track, and intercept rockets, artillery threats, and some UAVs before they hit populated areas. Known in Hebrew as Kippat Barzel, it became operational in 2011 and has documented combat use from the 2012 Gaza-Israel Conflict through later Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran-related fighting, including the April 2024 Iran-Israel exchange.

Sources

Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket - From the Battlefields of Syria to Southern LebanonPublisher: Alma Research and Education Center | Note: Supports 2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict direct use of Burkan rockets by Hezbollah, the small-truck or ground-launcher description, November 2023 northern-border attacks, and the embedded launcher imagery. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Ynet $400 a rocket: Burkan is Hezbollah's new weapon against IsraelPublisher: Ynetnews | Note: Supports Hezbollah introduction of Burkan rockets in the 2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict, Hezbollah manufacture, launch from small trucks or ground bases, and launcher imagery used on this page. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Alma Hezbollah Weapons in Northern ArenaPublisher: Alma Research and Education Center | Note: Supports 2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict direct use context for Hezbollah Burkan rockets and the small-truck or ground-launcher launch method in the northern arena. | Accessed: 2026-06-29INSS Hezbollah's Burkan Rocket: A New Threat?Publisher: Institute for National Security Studies | Note: Supports 2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict direct use by Hezbollah, Hezbollah development with Iranian assistance, short range, warhead size, launch-truck context, and the offensive option of targeting Burkan launch trucks. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Atlantic Council Lebanon-Israel Border EscalationPublisher: Atlantic Council | Note: Supports 2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict direct use of Burkan rockets by Hezbollah, the November 2023 Biranit attack, and the double-barreled launcher description. | Accessed: 2026-06-29