DURING A MIL TEST FLT A F18 HORNET; OBSERVED AN ACR JUST INSIDE THE WARNING AREA IN WHICH HE WAS CONDUCTING TEST AT A HIGH ALT. NO EVASIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN OR NECESSARY SINCE A TA HAD BEEN ISSUED AND THE RPTR HAD SIGHTED THE OTHER ACFT DURING HIS TURNING MANEUVER.

Narrative

ACFT X WAS ON AN ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT TEST FLT IN THE W108/386 WARNING AREAS PRIMARILY USING THE AREA KNOWN AS THE TEST TRACK. THE FLT WAS CONDUCTED IN DAYLIGHT WITH VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITH A CHASE ACFT. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT (APPROX XX05 LCL) I WAS IN A CLB TO POS THE ACFT TO CONDUCT THE NEXT TEST POINT. I HAD BEEN FLYING NE JUST W OF THE COASTAL ADIZ AND MADE A L TURN TO THE W THEN REVERSED THE TURN TO THE R; THROUGH N; IN A CONTINUOUS TURN TO A SOUTHWESTERLY HEADING (BASICALLY A 90-270 DEG REVERSAL). I HAD CHOSEN THIS COURSE WITH DUE RESPECT FOR THE AREA BOUNDARIES. IN THE COURSE OF THE R TURN I RECEIVED TFC CALL FROM ECHO CTL; VISUALLY LOCATED THE TFC AND CONTINUED THE TURN. I ESTIMATED THE TFC DISTANCE AT THE CLOSEST POINT OF APCH TO BE GREATER THAN 1 NM. MY INITIAL VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE TFC WAS NEAR CO-ALT THOUGH MY FLT PATH TOOK ACFT X ABOVE THE TFC ACFT. AT THAT POINT OF CLOSEST APCH I ESTIMATE THAT THERE WAS 500 FT OF VERT SEPARATION BTWN THE ACFT. DURING THIS TIME I RECHKED MY POS RELATIVE TO THE AREA BOUNDARIES AND VERIFIED THAT I WAS STILL WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE TEST TRACK AIRSPACE. TO THE ACCURACY OF MY DISPLAYED POS; I AM CONVINCED THAT ACFT X WAS ALWAYS INSIDE THE BOUNDARY OF THE TEST TRACK WITH APPROX A 1.5 NM MARGIN. A PROB MAY EXIST IN THIS AREA DUE TO: 1) AIRLINERS BEING VECTORED OR NAVING TOO CLOSE TO THIS SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE (POSSIBLY ON THE BOUNDARY OR WITHIN THE SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE); OR 2) TCASII EQUIPPED IFR ACFT OPERATING CLOSE ENOUGH TO LEGITIMATELY OPERATED NON-IFR CTLED ACFT TO HAVE THE TCASII EQUIP ACTIVATED.