Developed and used by the United States Army, the M-114 155mm howitzer was first produced in 1942 as a medium artillery piece under the name of the 155mm Howitzer M1 (its name change came in 1962). The United States Army has used it during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

The M-114 uses a two-wheel split trail carriage, and single jack in front of the axels raises its wheels from the ground. M-114s are usually towed by a five-ton truck, which also transports its ammunition and the crew. Emplacement time is around five minutes. The gun fires separate loading, bagged charged ammunition with up to seven different propelling charges ranging from 1 (the smallest) to 7 (the largest). Its 155mm shells are available as high explosive, chemical, illumination, and smoke, in accordance to the battlefield requirement and NATO standards. The maximum range for the M-114 is 14.6 km with a maximum rate of fire of four rounds per minute; its sustained rated of fire is approximately 40 rounds in one hour.

Muzzle velocity of the high explosive, chemical, and smoke rounds is approximately 1,850 feet per second, while the illumination round projects at 1,160 feet per second. The HE and chemical rounds have a longer engagement range out to 16,355 yards, while the smoke round reaches 9,700 yards and illumination peaks at 7,100 yards.