A final decision on the future of RAF Leuchars will be announced by July 19 at the latest.
The news which comes after months of speculation was confirmed as defence secretary Liam Fox met top officials at the base.
The minister also visited RAF Lossiemouth, similarly under threat as the UK Government aims to make swingeing cuts to its defence budget.
Despite the high profile and sensitive nature of the trip north, Dr Fox’s schedule was shrouded in secrecy and did not include face-to-face meetings with the media.
Nor did he meet Fife campaigners.
Members of the Residents Action Force in Leuchars had requested some time with the defence secretary but were told it was not possible.
Fraser Phillips, of the action force, said he was “disappointed” not to meet Dr Fox but insisted he understood the reasons behind what some people may have seen as a snub.
He told The Courier, “The guy has a really busy job don’t get me wrong, I would have loved to have a chat with him, but I do understand that he was on a tight timescale.
“I am delighted he has met with officials at Leuchars as I am sure they are in the best place to present the compelling strategic reasons to retain the base.
“We still hope to get the chance to meet with him at some point before the final decision is announced.”Bases ‘deserve loyalty’Dr Fox did have time for a meeting with First Minister Alex Salmond, who described the discussions as “constructive.”
Mr Salmond said, “The defence secretary insists that nothing is ruled in or out at this stage and that no final decisions have been taken.
“He is aware that lots of communities want an answer to this there will be answer by July 19.
“I made the case very strongly for the retention of both RAF bases in Scotland and also urged Dr Fox to meet the taskforce representatives for both Lossiemouth and Leuchars.
“He gave me every indication that he would agree to that request, as he should as there is a lot at stake for these communities.
“In such situations you have to be confident on the strength of your case.
“If you look at the configuration of air force bases in the UK at present, the vast majority are located in the south-east corner of England what kind of configuration is that in strategic terms?”
Mr Salmond said, “Moray and Fife are areas that have shown enormous loyalty to the RAF over generations and they deserve a bit of loyalty in return.
“Following my meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron in February, I received an assurance that the defence cuts would not involve a straight choice between RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Leuchars and that they wouldn’t be pitched against each other.
“Of course Scotland has already lost RAF Kinloss under the UK Government’s review. The cross-party support in Scotland for the retention of both bases reflects the convincing defence, social and economic case to keep them open.”
Mr Salmond had met representatives from the Moray and Leuchars taskforces in Edinburgh on Wednesday.’Disappointing’ snubNewly-elected North East Fife MSP Rod Campbell described Dr Fox’s decision not to meet campaigners in Leuchars as “disappointing.”
Both armed forces minister Nick Harvey and Scottish secretary Michael Moore have made time for discussions with the action force during visits to Fife.
Mr Campbell said, “It is difficult to understand why the defence secretary would travel all the way from London and not take the time to meet the local community in a meaningful and structured way while he was in the area.
“However, I have little doubt that, having visited the base and spoken to staff, it will be clear to Liam Fox that the notion of base closure is absolutely unacceptable to the community as a whole.”
North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell welcomed the defence secretary’s visit and is convinced he will have been impressed by what he saw.
Sir Menzies said, “I have consistently said that Leuchars is in the right place at the right time, doing the right job.
“No one who examines the case rationally could reach any other conclusion.”
It is thought that replacing RAF Leuchars with an army barracks for troops returning from Germany is among the options being seriously considered.
The Fife base is home to the Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon Eurofighter aircraft which protect the airspace of the northern half of Britain, including sensitive installations such as Torness nuclear power station, Faslane nuclear submarine base and Grangemouth oil refinery.
Dr Fox also came under fire for failing to visit RAF Kinloss just 15 miles from Lossiemouth as the base’s three flying squadrons were officially disbanded.
The ceremony took place after the UK Government decided to end squadron operations at the Moray facility. The Duke of Edinburgh was among those at Kinloss’ poignant final parade.
The Ministry of Defence said that Dr Fox did not want to interfere with the royal visit.