The SNP is drawing up plans to keep the RAF’s most advanced fighter jets in an independent Scotland, it can be revealed.
Senior party figures believe the multimillion-pound Eurofighter Typhoon, due to transfer next year from Leuchars to Lossiemouth, could play a key role in a new Scottish air force.
The move represents a major U-turn by the nationalists, coming just three months after Scottish Veterans Minister Keith Brown said the Typhoon would be “beyond the requirements” of an independent Scotland.
The SNP would not confirm the plans last night, but the Press and Journal understands details will be contained in its upcoming white paper on independence. And the party’s defence spokesman, Angus Robertson, is expected to give a clear signal in a revealing speech in Denmark this afternoon.
Speaking to an audience of academics at Copenhagen University’s centre for military studies, the Moray MP will say: “An independent Scotland will, like Denmark, prioritise the important maritime focus our region demands.
“Key airborne tasks will necessitate maritime patrol aircraft and maintaining fast jet capability.
“Extremely capable Typhoons are already coming into service and we will need to fill the patrol gap created by Whitehall scrapping the Nimrods.”
Up to 30 Typhoon jets and about 400 associated personnel will move next summer from Leuchars to Lossiemouth as part of a controversial Ministry of Defence shake-up.
The agile “dogfighting” aircraft cost about £65million each and made its combat debut in the 2011 military intervention in Libya.
Any proposal to keep the Typhoon in an independent Scotland would raise questions about maintenance costs, the retention of skilled pilots and ground crews, and their precise role in the defence of Scotland.
The RAF currently has about 100 Typhoons, but by 2020 will also have the F35 Lightning II coming into service, as well as other fast jets, and the SNP believes focusing on one model would strengthen its hand in negotiations.
Mr Robertson will also appear to confirm today that both Lossiemouth and Leuchars would play air defence roles after independence, despite the RAF being due to leave the Fife base next year.
“We have key bases which will play a key role in fulfilling our strategic responsibilities: Lossiemouth in the north and Leuchars in the east are ideally placed for air operations and Faslane on the west coast is perfectly suited to host conventional naval capabilities,” he will say.
Although planned for months, Mr Robertson is making the speech just three days after the defence select committee at Westminster raised doubts that Scotland could “mount a credible air defence” within its proposed £2.5billion budget.
It is no coincidence that he is speaking in Denmark, a country of similar-sized population, and a defence budget this year of £2.6billion, with F16 fast jets, helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft operating from three main bases.
A spokesman for the pro UK Better Together campaign said: “Someone needs to tell the SNP that defence policy can’t be written on the back of an envelope.
“Where are the details behind this latest about- turn? How many jets will we have? What about pilots to fly them and ground crew to look after them? How much will it all cost? Where is the money coming from? The uncomfortable truth for the nationalists is that our armed forces are the best in the world.
“It is only the SNP who think it would be a good idea to break them up.”