Fears have been raised about the safety of British pilots flying missions over Iraq and Syria in jets not fitted with anti-crash systems.
Campaigner Jimmy Jones criticised the absence of collision warning systems (CWS) in the RAF’s Typhoon fleet and most of its Tornados.
He has repeatedly said air crews would be safer if the equipment was installed.
Earlier this year, Air Marshal Richard Garwood, then director general of the Military Aviation Authority, warned that Typhoons should be fitted with the system with “full haste”.
But last night an RAF source rejected Mr Jones’s evaluation, pointing to the coalition partners’ de-confliction process which keeps pilots informed of what is around them.
Forres resident and retired RAF engineering officer Mr Jones questioned the ease with which the forces could co-ordinate in the “extremely congested” airspace.
He added: “The last thing you want is for one of our Typhoons or Tornados to collide with a Russian jet for example.
“I have raised this issue a number of times, but for some reason the Ministry of Defence keep coming back with bravado. They say ‘it’s not the done thing to have collision warning in fighter jets’.”
But the RAF source insisted the de-confliction process “couldn’t be any more comprehensive” and described the air space as “vast”.
He added: “There are fewer aircraft in that area than on the east coast of the UK.”
All of the UK aircraft are on an air tasking order, which is centrally co-ordinated, so pilots know the height, speed and frequency of other planes.
In addition to the coalition de-confliction process, there is an additional level of co-ordination with the Russians.
The issue is one of longstanding concern, particularly since the failure to instal a CWS was found to be a contributing factor to the 2012 Tornado crash over the Moray Firth.
It resulted in the deaths of three Lossiemouth airmen and left a fourth seriously injured.
Welsh MP Albert Owen raised the case during Wednesday’s air strikes debate on behalf of his constituent Mike Poole, whose son Flight Lieutenant Hywel Poole was one of those killed.
In response, Prime Minister David Cameron said the British planes had the “most advanced air suites possible” to ensure pilots were kept safe.