An independent Scotland would have to operate "second tier" aircraft and could not prevent a 9/11-style attack, a leading defence expert has warned.
Professor Malcolm Chalmers, of the Royal United Services Institute, said financial constraints could mean Scotland "begging, borrowing and leasing assets" after independence.
An independent Scottish air force could not operate first rate planes such as Typhoons or Tornados and could be forced to rely on Hawk aircraft instead, Mr Chalmers, director of UK Defence Policy studies at the independent think-tank, told the House of Commons Defence Select Committee yesterday.
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