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The T88 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage was produced in an attempt to mount a 105mm howitzer in the chassis of an M18 Hellcat tank destroyer.
Work on the T88 began in August 1944 after the successful combat debut of the M18. It was a fairly simple conversion, and the only major changes were in the turret. The 76mm gun was removed and replaced with a 105mm Howitzer M4. The ring mount for the anti-aircraft machine gun was replaced with a pedestal mount. An M10 periscope sight was installed as was a panoramic telescope. The gunner moved from the left to the right of the gun. Sixteen rounds of 105mm ammo could be carried inside the turret with twenty four in the sponsons, for a total of 40 rounds (compared to 45 rounds of 76mm ammo in the M18.
This was followed by the T88E1, which was armed with a lightweight 105mm Howitzer T51 with a concentric recoil mechanism. This took up less space within the turret.
Both the T88 and T88E1 were cancelled at the end of the Second World War.