Romania. (January 25, 2023): In this photo by Major Robert Fellingham, U.S. Army air defenders attach their Avenger weapon system to a Chinook helicopter during sling load training near the Black Sea coast of Romania.

Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment practiced sling-loading both the Avenger with a Chinook helicopter crew from Bravo Company, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division. Pictured left to right is Specialist Toby Delsignore, Specialist Christopher Salazar, and Specialist Jarod Vanlandingham.

Sling-loading multi-million-dollar equipment to a moving helicopter is challenging and dangerous if not done properly. These soldiers are required to pass a five-day Sling Load Inspector Certification Course (SLICC) to qualify as sling load inspectors. Soldiers must know the special fixtures and accessories used to lift tons of vehicles and equipment, from generators to tanks, while ensuring that the load is evenly distributed and will not fall during transport.

The Avenger is a fully automated, short-range missile system that is the Army's premier shoot-on-the-move air defense weapon. It is lightweight, highly mobile, and easily transportable and each unit can fire eight Stinger missiles from two missile pods. The Avenger is designed to protect ground units against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery is a subordinate unit of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command based on Shipton Kaserne, Ansbach, Germany.