On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC) from the Detroit Arsenal in Michigan, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense, signed a contract worth USD 13,140,694 for the production of a new batch of M1152 HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) light, multipurpose tactical vehicles for the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Lebanese Special Forces HMMWV at the Security Middle East Show at BIEL in Beirut / Photo: Zaher1988 via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
The annex increases the total cumulative nominal value of the HMMWV production contract to 3,063,726,229 USD. The work will be carried out in South Bend, Indiana, with an estimated completion date of September 30, 2026. All funds for the execution of the annex come from the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program for Lebanon in fiscal year 2025.
The M1152 HMMWV is an Expanded Capacity Vehicle (ECV) variant, serving as a cargo carrier, troop transport, or utility vehicle, ready for armor installation (IAP/Armor Ready). It is part of the M1100 series, designed to carry up to 8 passengers with options such as the Armor Troop Enclosure or Troop Seat, and it can be fitted with additional protective kits (e.g., Kits A and B for ballistic and mine protection). It is an upgraded configuration within the HMMWV family, intended for transporting personnel and cargo, including configurations such as an armored ambulance.
The previous production contract for the M1000 HMMWV was concluded on July 29 of this year and was valued at 126,531,778 USD, however, it concerned Special Operations support (Special Ops) with the M1165A1B3 HMMWV.
An earlier contract for the production of new vehicles was signed on August 19, 2022, with a value of 732,741,016 USD, it expired on December 31, 2024. Meanwhile, AM General LLC currently supports the active vehicle fleet under a U.S. Department of Defense contract dated May 17, 2024, worth 27,020,608 USD, valid until December 31, 2029. At the same time, the company is promoting the concept of a new-generation vehicle called the Future Driven HUMVEE, following the unsuccessful presentation in 2018 of the concept known as the NXT 360.
On July 20 of this year, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that it had signed a contract worth approximately 500 million ILS with AM General for the delivery of hundreds of M1000 HMMWV family vehicles.
M1152 HMMWV / Photo: AM General LLC
HMMWVs in Lebanon
Lebanon began using HMMWVs in 2005, when Fouad Siniora, opposed to Syrian influence in the country, came to power, and the U.S. delivered the first 20 of a planned 285 vehicles as part of a military aid package. Since then Lebanon has received further batches, including shipments in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 and later, reaching a total of more than 1,600 vehicles of various variants: M998, M1025 (light weapon carrier), M1046 (equipped with BGM-71 TOW 2B anti-tank guided missiles), M1035 (armored ambulance), M1026, M1043, M1043 ACAV, M1044, M1045, M1152, M1151 and M1165A1.
On December 1, 2020, the government in Beirut received approval to purchase the M1152 HMMWVs in two tranches of 150 each, totaling up to 55.5 million USD.
Over the past 20 years, U.S. assistance has also included other types of weapons and military equipment, such as five A-29B Super Tucano light attack aircraft (aka EMB 314) with turboprop engines, 102 M-198 155 mm howitzers, 32 M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (Operation Desert Storm configuration), and three Cessna AC-208 Combat Caravan aircraft armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. Personal equipment for soldiers is also being supplied.
