In crisis-hit Lebanon, the military has not been absolved from struggle.

Last year, as people and public institutions plunged into debt, meat was removed from the food served to soldiers, leading to public outcry but little change. 

Amid the economic crisis that has seen the Lebanese Lira lose nearly 90 percent of its value, Lebanese soldiers are now paid the equivalent of $90 per month, barely enough to purchase basic necessities, in a country where the cost of imported goods are ever-rising. 

Now, in a new bid to raise money, the military is offering tourist flights in its helicopters at just $150 a ride. 

“We do battles as a military. Usually, in military battles, we use our aircraft and firepower but this is an unconventional war so you have to face it with unconventional means,” Brig Gen Ziad Haikal, commander of the country’s air force, told the UAE's The National Newspaper. 

“You are not looking at an army that is just laying down and asking for help. They are trying to stay on top of the water and not to drown."

If the initiative is successful- and the amount of booked flights point to it being very successful- the military could raise up to two million dollars in 2021 alone. 

“You cannot blame anybody for trying to survive, and we are in a battle of survival — believe me," Gen Haikal said.