AN ACR FLC OF AN LTT RPT BEING INTERCEPTED BY AN FA18 THAT LEFT ITS MIL TRAINING AREA WITHOUT PERMISSION. THE FIGHTER REMAINED CLOSE TO THE ACR THROUGH SEVERAL ATTEMPTED AVOIDANCE MANEUVERS.

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I WAS THE PIC OF A FLT FROM CHS TO RDU ON THE EVENING OF DEC 1996. THE FO WAS FLYING THE ACFT. WE WERE ESTABLISHED ON V437 SE OF FLO WHEN WE RECEIVED A TCASII ALERT FOR TFC APCHING FROM BEHIND. THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 2 MI AWAY AND CLOSING RAPIDLY IN DISTANCE AND ALT. ZJX (133.45) INFORMED US OF AN UNIDENTED ACFT BEHIND US. THE FO SAW THE TFC VISUALLY AND NOTED THAT IT WOULD PASS BEHIND US. THE ACFT WAS THEN OBSERVED TURNING TOWARDS US. VISUAL CONTACT WAS LOST AS THE ACFT MANEUVERED BEHIND US. THE IMAGE ON THE TCASII INDICATED THE OTHER ACFT DIRECTLY BEHIND AND AT THE SAME ALT. THE FO SPOTTED A SMALL SECTION OF THE RADOME AS THE TCASII IMAGES WERE ABOUT TO MERGE. I INFORMED ATC WE WERE TURNING L TO AVOID A COLLISION. I COULD SEE A SMALL AMOUNT OF SEPARATION APPEAR BTWN US ON THE TCASII BEFORE THE OTHER ACFT TURNED TO CLOSE THE DISTANCE. ONCE AGAIN A COLLISION APPEARED TO BE IMMINENT. I AGAIN INFORMED ATC THAT WE WERE DSNDING TO AVOID A COLLISION. A RAPID DSCNT WAS STARTED. ONCE AGAIN SEPARATION WAS NOTED BEFORE THE OTHER ACFT CLOSED IN AND FOLLOWED US DOWN. THE FO NOTED AT THIS TIME THE ACFT WAS A MIL FIGHTER. HE WAS IN A VERY TIGHT FORMATION WITH HIS NOSE JUST BEHIND AND OUTBOARD OF THE R WING. AT ALL TIMES WHEN THE SEPARATION CLOSED THE IMAGE OF THE OTHER ACFT COVERED OURS ON TCASII. OUR INITIAL ALT WAS 13000 FT. AS WE DSNDED THROUGH 10000 FT THE OTHER ACFT TURNED AWAY. WE LEVELED OFF AT 9000 FT. ATC ASKED FOR OUR ALT AND IF WE WOULD LIKE TO RETURN TO 13000 FT. WE CLBED TO 11000 FT AND RESUMED NAV TO FLO. I CALLED ATC FROM RDU AND LEARNED THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS AN FA18. HE WAS ASSIGNED TO GAMECOCK D/EAST. HE LEFT THIS AREA WITHOUT PERMISSION AND WITHOUT TALKING TO ANYONE. HE WAS TO MEET WITH A C130 TO REFUEL AND ATC SPECULATED HE MAY HAVE INITIALLY MISTAKEN US FOR THE TANKER. ALTHOUGH IT WAS AFTER SUNSET; WE WERE BTWN THE AVAILABLE LIGHT AND THE FIGHTER. ATC ALSO NOTED THAT WE WERE CLR OF ACTIVE AREAS.