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Military

How long is the Little Boy atomic bomb?

The Little Boy atomic bomb is about 3 m (9 ft 10 in) long.

What is measured: WWII gun-type nuclear bomb, casing length

Little Boy Atomic Bomb (3 m) drawn to scale beside a doorway (2 m) and a 20-foot shipping container (6.06 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Doorway (2 m), Little Boy Atomic Bomb (3 m) and Shipping container (20 ft) (6.06 m).

Compare

How big is that, really?

  • About 2 would fit end to end along a 20-foot shipping container
  • About 4 would fit end to end along a city bus
  • About 1.5× the height of a doorway
  • About 1.8× the height of an adult person
  • About 7 would fit end to end along a tennis court

Learn

Facts about Little Boy Atomic Bomb

Little Boy, dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, was the first nuclear weapon used in warfare.

Source: National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Military

NameSizeCompared with Little Boy Atomic Bomb
M2 Browning Machine Gun1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)0.55×
Napoleon 12-Pounder Cannon1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)0.56×
Suit of Medieval Plate Armor1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)0.58×
English Longbow1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)0.6×
Roman Pilum2 m (6 ft 7 in)0.67×
WWII Pillbox Bunker3 m (9 ft 10 in)same size
Little Boy Atomic Bomb3 m (9 ft 10 in)this page
Iron Dome Tamir Interceptor3 m (9 ft 10 in)same size
AGM-88 HARM Missile4.1 m (13 ft)1.4×
M113 Armored Personnel Carrier4.86 m (16 ft)1.6×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Little Boy Atomic Bomb or AGM-88 HARM Missile?

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