On April 22, 2024, Colombia announced through its official channel X that it will soon acquire an additional 55 M1117 armored vehicles from the United States government. These vehicles, locally known as Pegaso, are transferred to Colombia under the United States’ Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program.
This donation supplements a previous batch of 145 M1117 vehicles received by Colombia. A contract valued at approximately $3.9 million was signed between the Colombian Army Command and American suppliers for the acquisition of these vehicles in January 2021.
The M1117 vehicles will be deployed in various configurations, including Command and Control, Reconnaissance, and Transport versions, with the aim of enhancing the operational capabilities of the Colombian army.
Colombia continues its goal of standardizing its fleet of armored vehicles, integrating a variety of 4×4, 6×6, and 8×8 models. This initiative demonstrates the United States’ ongoing commitment to supporting the defense efforts of its regional allies.
According to the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) arms trade database, 28 M1117 ASV (Armored Security Vehicle), 4×4 armored vehicles were already delivered to Colombia in 2013/2014, and the second batch of 60 vehicles was delivered in 2016, including the command post version. With this new donation added to those of the Military Balance 2023, the Colombian army would now have a fleet of 269 M1117 ASVs in all configurations.