On May 25 , 1953 at 8:30 a.m. , the atomic cannon was tested at the Nevada Test Site ( specifically Frenchman Flat ) as part of the Upshot – Knothole series of nuclear tests . The test — codenamed " Grable " — was attended by the Chairman-delegate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , Admiral Arthur W. Radford and United States Secretary of Defense Charles Erwin Wilson ; it resulted in the successful detonation of a 15 kiloton shell ( W9 warhead ) at a range of . This was the first and only nuclear shell to be fired from a cannon . ( The Little Feller 1 test shot of a W54 used a Davy Crockett weapon system , which was a recoilless smooth-bore gun firing the warhead mounted on the end of a spigot inserted in the barrel of the weapon . ) After the successful test , at least 20 cannons were manufactured at Watervliet and Watertown Arsenals , at a cost of $ 800,000 each . They were deployed overseas to Europe and Korea , frequently shifted around to avoid being detected and targeted by opposing forces . Due to the size of the apparatus , their limited range , the development of nuclear shells compatible with existing artillery pieces ( the W48 for the 155 mm and the W33 for the 203 mm ) , and the development of rocket - and missile-based nuclear artillery ( such as the Little John and Honest John tactical nuclear missiles ) , the M65 was effectively obsolete soon after it was deployed . However , it remained a prestige weapon and was not retired until 1963
Grable
Upshot-Knothole Grable
M65 atomic cannon