Page "M102 howitzer" Paragraph 5

The new M102 was by far the better weapon.

It weighed little more than 1½ tons whereas the M101A1 weighed approximately 2½ tons ; as a result, more ammunition could be carried during heliborne operations, and a 3 / 4-ton truck rather than a 2½-ton truck was its prime mover for ground operations.

Another major advantage of the M102 was that it could be traversed a full 6, 400 mils.

The M101A1 had a limited on-carriage traverse, which required its trails ( stabilizing legs ) to be shifted if further traverse was necessary.

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.