EADS: EADS gets to first base

Clouds remain on the horizon for Eads. While a US Air Force contract for Airbus tankers is encouraging and unexpected news for the French-German aircraft maker, it’s no miracle answer to all the problems facing a company struggling to clean up after costly delays to other projects. Breaking Boeing’s tanker plane monopoly on tanker sales to the United States military makes Eads a more credible supplier to the Pentagon. That should boost its military business elsewhere and help balance its previo...