AN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE BEING OPERATED IN RESTR AIRSPACE BELOW 2000 FT IS CLBED THROUGH THE ALT TO 2500 FT RESULTING IN A CONFLICT WITH AN E145 AT 3000 FT.

Narrative

I WAS WORKING AS CIC WHEN NFJ TWR CALLED TO COORD UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE MANEUVERS IN NFJ CLASS D AIRSPACE. CURRENTLY; NFJ CLASS D AIRSPACE 2000 FT AND ABOVE IS RETAINED BY P31 DUE TO A CLOSED RWY AT PNS. I TOLD THE NFJ TWR OPERATOR THAT UAV OPS WERE NOT A PROB SO LONG AS THEY REMAINED BELOW 2000 FT. THE E RADAR CTLR ASKED ME TO COME TO THE SCOPE. I OBSERVED A TARGET SQUAWKING XXXX; THE NORMAL XPONDER CODE FOR THE UAV; AT 2500 FT; IN CONFLICT ALERT STATUS WITH ACR X; AN ACR; AT 3000 FT OVERHEAD NJF ENRTE TO PNS. THE PLT OF ACR X RPTED TO THE E RADAR CTLR THAT HE WAS RESPONDING TO A TCAS RA AND CLBING. ACR X CLBED TO 3400 FT AND THEN RESUMED DSCNT FOR PNS WHEN THE CONFLICT WAS CLRED. I CALLED NFJ TWR AND TOLD THEM THE UAV WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BELOW 2000 FT. THEY ROGERED; THEN DSNDED THE UAV TO 1500 FT. THEN THEY CLBED THE UAV BACK TO 2500 FT. SHORTLY AFTER; I OBSERVED THE UAV ENTERING EGLIN AFB RESTR AREA R2915A. THE PIONEER UAV IS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A SMALL GO-KART WITH WINGS. THEY ARE PAINTED GRAY. THE LIKELIHOOD OF A PLT ACQUIRING THESE UAV'S VISUALLY IN ENOUGH TIME TO TAKE EVASIVE MANEUVERS IS SMALL TO NIL.