The M102 105 mm howitzer is used in air mobile (helicopter), attack plane, and light infantry operations.

The weapon is manually loaded and positioned, and can be towed by a 2-ton truck or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), can be transported by UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, or can be dropped by parachute with airborne units.

These experienced artillerymen could offer some seemingly convincing reasons why the M101 was still the superior weapon: its waist-high breech made it easier to load; it had higher ground clearance when in tow; but most important, it was considerably less expensive than the M102.

[1] A low silhouette made the new weapon a more difficult target for the enemy, an advantage that far outweighed the disadvantage of being somewhat less convenient to load.

The panoramic telescope has a four power, fixed focus optical system, with 178 mils (10 degrees) field of view.

They are a single box trail in wishbone shape, and serve three purposes: mobility; stability; and stowage of section equipment.

The first production versions were displayed with a muzzle brake, most likely to allow long range 105 mm rounds to be fired, but was discontinued before shipment to Vietnam.

The 1-206th FA provided fire and conducted counter-fire missions in support of 39th BCT operations, an element of the 1st Cavalry Division.

To accommodate the cannon, the rear side-firing 40 mm guns were replaced by the radome that formerly had been installed in the door cavity.

[5] The latest AC-130J Ghostrider gunship was not originally planned to include the 105 mm, but designed with enough spare power and room to mount it at some later point.

The Air Force decided to include it in January 2015, starting installation on the third aircraft, then having the first two be retrofitted when guns become available; M102s will be pulled off retiring AC-130Us and put into the AC-130Js.

[6] The M102 is used in extremely limited roles by the United States Marine Corps, primarily for firing salutes.