Little David
| Little David | |
|---|---|
Little David at the Aberdeen Proving Ground | |
| Type | Heavy mortar |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | Testing only |
| Used by | United States |
| Wars | World War II |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 173,000 pounds (77 long tons; 87 short tons) |
| Barrel length | 22 feet (6.7 m) |
| Shell | 3,650 pounds (1,656 kg) |
| Caliber | 36 inches (914 mm) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,250 feet per second (381 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 9,500 yards (8.7 km) |
| Feed system | Muzzle loading |
Little David was the nickname of an American 36-inch (910 mm) caliber mortar designed to breach the Siegfried Line and then used for test-firing aerial bombs during World War II. With the same calibre as the British Mallet's Mortar, constructed in May 1857, it is one of the largest-calibre guns ever built, having a larger calibre than both of Germany's Schwerer Gustav and Dora which were 31.5-inch (800 mm) railway guns.