'Procurement of ultra-light Howitzer faces cost issues'

New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) Defence Minister Arun Jaitley Friday said there has been no progress in the procurement of ultra-light Howitzer (ULH) guns from the US due to cost issues.

"The case for procurement of ultra-light Howitzer (ULH) guns through the US government has not progressed due to cost issues," Jaitley informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

"The vendor has not been able to come up with a proposal fully compliant to the offset requirements," he said.

The ultra-light Howitzers of 155 mm (39 calibre) were to be acquired for deployment in high altitude areas along India-China border, in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.

The army has been demanding the Howitzers for mountain warfare, especially for the newly created Mountain Strike Corps along the Sino-Indian border.