Early artillery was the M110 howitzer, a tracked, lightly armoured vehicle with a single 155mm cannon. The gun was in a fixed position and the entire vehicle had to be rotated to acquire different targets. Later artillery, in contrast, looked like a platform for a massive cannon which was affixed at the back of the weapon. Small outrigger legs deployed and stabilized the weapon while it was being deployed, balancing and stabilizing it against the recoil of the massive cannon.