The moment I saw this picture I knew it would make a good Picture Of The Day here at TFB.

It’s not everyday you see an Armored Vehicle on a boat blasting for all it’s worth out to the sea.

First I thought the LAV was on one of the U.S. Carriers and wondered what it was doing there, but the picture is taken from atop of the flight deck, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp.

Apart from the LAV’s main cannon there are also a few Machine Guns and Sniper rifles trying to hit the South Chinese Sea.

I think the main gun is a M242 Bushmaster, a 25 mm (25×137mm) chain-driven auto-cannon.

The description of the photo reads:

Marines with Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, sit on a Light Armored Vehicle atop the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during a defense of the amphibious task force drill, underway in the South China Sea, Sept. 27, 2018. During the training, Marines with BLT 2/5 and crewmen with the Wasp rehearsed ship security using a variety of mounted and dismounted small-arms and heavy weapons.

As part of the DATF-D, the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group and 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit team assumed a security posture to simulate traveling through potentially dangerous waters. Wasp, flagship of the Wasp ARG, with embarked 31st MEU, is operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency.

BLT 2/5 is the Ground Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently underway aboard the Wasp during a regularly-scheduled patrol of the Indo-Pacific region. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations across the Indo-Pacific region.

Here you can see some more shooting

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. E. V. Hagewood/Released)

Both photos by U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. E. V. Hagewood.