Robert Chamberlain, 63, a record-setting B-1B test pilot, died July 4 in an airplane crash near Tehachapi, Calif., after a July 4th air show. The Denver Post reported Monday that Chamberlain and a copilot where killed when their L-29 Delfin crashed in a field after they had participated in a formation flight with two other aircraft as part of an Independence Day celebration. According to the Post, Chamberlain spent more than 20 years in the Air Force, where he was a B-1B production test pilot and, along with his crew, set four speed-with-payload records and numerous additional B-1B marks. After his Air Force career, Chamberlain went to work for United Airlines, where he instructed other pilots. He lived as a retiree in Morrison, Colo., outside of Denver.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.