NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Feb. 25, 2011--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that the Pentagon's award of a major contract for aerial refueling tankers to Boeing Co. (A/Stable/A-1) has no impact on its ratings or outlook on the company. In a vigorous competition over several years, Boeing won over the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. N.V. (EADS), which aimed to expand its presence in the U.S. defense market, the world's largest. The awarded contract (valued at more than $3.5 billion) is for the engineering and manufacturing development of the first 18 aircraft (designated as the KC-46A) by 2017 to start replacing the aging U.S. tanker fleet. The overall program is valued at more than $30 billion, with
