The 53,000 lb capacity Rough Terrain Container Handler (RTCH) Model RT-240 was developed by Kalmar Rough Terrain Center (KRTC) to meet a US Army TACOM requirement to replace the Caterpillar DV43 model from the 1980's. The RT240 is the flagship DoD shipping container handler, providing field heavy lift logistics in deployed and unimproved environments. After initial contract award in April 2000, production began in Sweden and subsequently moved to Cibolo, Texas in 2007. When the contract ended in October 2013, 1,288 units had been delivered to the Services and six international partners.
From KRTC’s analysis, current RT240 fielded versus US Army requirement is short 151 units, a gap that is overcome by the presence of roughly 231 obsolete DV43s.

FIELDED RT-240s ON HAND REQUIRED Obsolete DV43
ACTIVE COMPONENT 684 873 147
NATIONAL GUARD 94 110 5
RESERVE 254 262 79
TOTAL 1032 1245 231
DELTA <- 213>

Additionally, there is a concern by a projected RT240 Electronic Control Unit run out as early as 2016-2017. Future risk should be mitigated with action now. Manufacturer is proposing a research and development project for FY16 to explore modernization alternatives to include enhanced fuel management, Army maintenance system integration, and a camera system. This approach of a near-term research & development project for the Army avoids a future readiness issue while also providing improved capabilities for the current fleet into the 2016-2030 time frame.