On Tuesday, December 16, 2025, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) published the U.S. Department of State’s approval of a potential sale to Lebanon of a batch of 140 multipurpose light tactical vehicles – HMMWVs (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles) in the M1151A1 Enhanced Armament Carrier armored variant – under a package valued at up to 34.5 million USD.
Baseline M1151 without armor / Illustrative photo: Staff Sgt. Brian A. Barbour, US Army National Guard
According to the published information, the government in Beirut initially requested the possibility of acquiring 50 M1151A1 HMMWVs for a maximum of 12.26 million USD. The request was later expanded to include an additional 90 vehicles in the same variant.
In addition, the package includes the following items categorized as non-MDE (Major Defense Equipment): RF-7850M-HH multiband manpack radios, GPS satellite navigation receivers, Quicklook waveforms for encrypted communications, spare parts, repair parts, publications and technical documentation, training, U.S. government and contractor (AM General) engineering support, technical and logistical support services, as well as other related logistics and program support elements.
The M1151A1 is a factory-armored expanded armament carrier (with an A-kit armor package and the option to upgrade to a B-kit, increasing combat weight to 4.7 metric tons). Previously designated as the M1151P1, it is an evolution of the M1151 (the successor to the M1025A2). The vehicle received a heavier chassis and an upgraded engine due to an increased payload capacity of 1,043 kg (2,300 lb).
HMMWVs In Lebanon
Lebanon began operating HMMWV vehicles in 2005, when Fouad Siniora, opposed to Syrian influence in the country, came to power, and the United States delivered the first 20 of a planned 285 vehicles as part of a military assistance package. Since then, Lebanon has received additional batches, including in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, and later years, ultimately receiving more than 1,600 vehicles in various variants: M998, M1025 (light armament carrier), M1046 (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 M1152 HMMWVs in two tranches of 150 vehicles each for a maximum of 55.5 million USD. On September 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded a contract worth 13,140,694 USD to AM General for the production of a new batch of M1152 vehicles for Lebanon.
HMMWV Production Continues
The previous production contract for vehicles of the M1000 HMMWV family was signed on September 23, 2025, with a value of 50,974,838 USD. It covered special operations support variants – the M1152A1B2 and the newer M1165A1B3 (112 units each). Earlier, on July 29, a batch of M1165A1B3 vehicles was ordered for 126,531,778 USD.
An earlier contract for the production of new vehicles was signed on August 19, 2022, valued at 732,741,016 USD, and expired on December 31, 2024. Meanwhile, AM General LLC is currently supporting the in-service fleet under a U.S. Department of Defense contract dated May 17, 2024, worth 27,020,608 USD, which will remain in effect until December 31, 2029. At the same time, the company is promoting a next-generation vehicle concept called Future Driven HUMVEE, following the unsuccessful presentation of the NXT 360 concept in 2018.
On July 20, 2025, 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 vehicles from the M1000 HMMWV family.
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