Little John was the Army's smallest nuclear-capable rocket ever deployed, a free flight artillery rocket that could carry either nuclear or conventional warheads. It was an air-transportable, unguided rocket powered by a solid-fuel rocket motor and was designed to give airborne Army units a nuclear capability, complementing the heavier self-propelled Honest John systems. Developmental studies began in 1953, and Little John went through two stages of development. The earlier version, with triangular fins, was first launched in June 1956 and served essentially as a rocket test vehicle for training and test purposes. The final tactical version had small square fins; its development began in 1956, with test firings conducted between December 1958 and October 1959. Production began in late 1959, and the first rockets were deployed by airborne battalions in January 1961. Production and deployment were limited because Little John was designed for airborne operations and there were only two airborne Army units at the time. In August 1969, it was declared obsolete and withdrawn from service. At White Sands Missile Range, the first Little John was tested in 1956. Before it was declared obsolete, 636 rockets had been test-fired there, and between 1969 and 1977, 43 additional Little Johns were launched to test laser guidance, warheads, and other components. It was a Range workhorse. Little John was 14.5 feet long, 12 inches in diameter, weighed 800 pounds, used solid propellant, had a range of 11 miles, and was first fired in 1956.