Editing Little Boy (section)

==Rehearsals==
[[File:Atombombe Little Boy 2.jpg|thumb|Little Boy unit L-11 in the bomb pit on [[Tinian]] island, before being loaded into ''Enola Gay''{{'}}s bomb bay. A section of the bomb bay door is visible on the top right]]

The Little Boy pre-assemblies were designated L-1, L-2, L-3, L-4, L-5, L-6, L-7, and L-11. Of these, L-1, L-2, L-5, and L-6 were expended in test drops. The first drop test was conducted with L-1 on 23 July 1945. It was dropped over the sea near Tinian in order to test the radar altimeter by the B-29 later known as ''[[Big Stink (aircraft)|Big Stink]]'', piloted by [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] [[Paul W. Tibbets]], the commander of the [[509th Composite Group]]. Two more drop tests over the sea were made on 24 and 25 July, using the L-2 and L-5 units in order to test all components. Tibbets was the pilot for both missions, but this time the bomber used was the one subsequently known as ''[[Jabit III|Jabit]]''. L-6 was used as a dress rehearsal on 29 July. The B-29 ''[[Next Objective]]'', piloted by [[Major (rank)|Major]] [[Charles W. Sweeney]], flew to [[Iwo Jima]], where emergency procedures for loading the bomb onto a standby aircraft were practiced. This rehearsal was repeated on 31 July, but this time L-6 was reloaded onto a different B-29, ''[[Enola Gay]]'', piloted by Tibbets, and the bomb was test dropped near Tinian. L-11 was the assembly used for the Hiroshima bomb, and was fully assembled with its nuclear fuel by 31 July.{{sfn|Campbell|2005|pp=46, 80}}{{sfn|Coster-Mullen|2012|pp=100–101}}