The hungriest beast of them all on this blog is our Photo Of The Day. It consumes hundreds of images every month, and it has been doing so for over 8 years. Today we have one of the coolest pictures for a while, just look at that NSV machine gun hammering those 12.7×108 mm rounds. In Finland, it’s called the 12.7 ITKK 96. Task Force Red Cloud, headquartered by elements of CLB-6, has recently been deployed in Finland to support the Exercises SYD 2022 and Freezing Winds 2022.

Below:

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Gannon Holdeman, a motor vehicle operator with Combat Logistics Battalion 6, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, fires a 12.7 NSV machine gun on a Jehu 700 class landing craft during a littoral reconnaissance range in preparation for exercise Freezing Winds 22 in Syndalen, Finland, Oct. 8, 2022.

Below: A Finnish Soldier with Vaasa Coastal Battalion firing a 12.7 NSV machine gun.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Matthew Silber, a vehicle recovery operator with Combat Logistics Battalion 6, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, fires a 12.7 NSV machine gun.

A Finnish Soldier with Vaasa Coastal Battalion fires the 12.7 NSV machine gun. I too want a beach and a machine gun.

Prepared to be seasick in 3…2…1…below you see U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Carlos Perez, a motor vehicle operator sitting inside a Jehu 700 class landing craft during a littoral reconnaissance range.

Reloading…

U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 6, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, and Finnish Soldiers with Vaasa Coastal Battalion, prepare and stage 50 caliber ammunition.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Shane Croke, a vehicle recovery operator with Combat Logistics Battalion 6, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, loads a 12.7 NSV machine gun on a Jehu 700 class landing craft. Remember to always wear tactical sunglasses, even in Finland in the autumn.

So how cool was the 12.7 mm NSV on a scale from 1 to 10? Rate it in the comments below.

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Photos and captions: Lance Cpl. Meshaq Hylton, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa.