U.S. fleets are among the oldest in the world, said Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at the Teal Group in Fairfax, Virginia. “I’m not really sure that people should read that much into that,” Aboulafia said. “From a safety standpoint, a lot of the older planes were built tougher and with proper maintenance, there’s no reason why a plane can’t stay safe for 25 to 30 years.” The U.S. and most of the developed world have superb standards and maintenance regulations, the result of decades of experience that have made the system incredibly safe, Aboulafia said.

He said the decision to have Northrop and EADS build the new tanker would be difficult to overturn if an appeal occurred. Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group in Fairfax, Va., said the decision was not “what anyone expected” because Boeing had the home team and incumbent advantage. He said there is very little historical precedent that a protest would result in overturning an award.