A battery of 105s came to visit one day. They set up out by the gate. That's the M102 light-towed 105mm howitzer. It could be slung under the chinook as you see here, or towed, or dropped via parachute!
The chinook would sit the thing down, then drop the sling and go land nearby, or fly back to get the next gun.
The 105 is down now. This M102 version is no longer used, except for one that is mounted in the back of the AC130 Spookie gunship. That's a AC130 cargo plane loaded with armament, included an automated 105mm howitzer.
This gun is supposed to have a crew of eight. It can fire about 10 rounds per minute bursts, and three rounds per minute sustained, and has a max. range of about seven miles.
This gun is seventeen feet long and weighs in at 1.6 tons. That's a close look at the recoil mechanism there by the wheel.
Note the roller, so this gun can shoot 360 degrees radius. It can train on any target at any azmuth. The plate under the middle of the carriage gets staked to the ground to prevent recoil movement.
We in camp went out to have a look at these pint sized guns.
Waiting for three or four more to come in via chinook.
