Also if you were able to nuke it would it detonate the other nuclear weapon? and if so what would be the result?
All silos are hardened sites can withstand near to direct hits. Vet-USAF / 44MMS Ellsworth AFB SD.
Launching directly through cooling slag would prove difficult as the launch door would be unlikely to open. As long as the shaft is clear or clear-able and the missile mechanically sound then launch is still an option.
Silos (including blast doors) were designed to withstand a first strike attack. They would survive a close hit.
Although silos are built to be of great strength, a direct hit by a large nuclear weapon would destroy one. The missile and warhead in the silo would be damaged beyond repair.
Silos are protected against shock and radiation, but very little can withstand a direct hit. The launch doors are the big weakness. The survivability of a silo would depend on how close of a detonation and how big it was. Weapon(s) in the silo would not detonate in a sympathetic nuclear explosion. Nuclear weapons are much more sophisticated machines than conventional devices. The fuel in the unlaunched missile would detonate, the conventional explosives around the nuclear core would detonate and the nuclear material in the missile would add to the fallout. The weapon(s) in the silo would not achieve critical mass.
