1.0.0.3 false Consolidated Statements of Operations (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data false 1 $ false false Shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 USD Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 USDEPS Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 false 2 $ false false Shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 USD Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 USDEPS Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 false 3 $ false false Shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 USD Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 USDEPS Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 3 Net sales: 1 us-gaap_SalesRevenueNetAbstract us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 4 Products 2 us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 true true 7516000000 7516 false false 2 true true 7130000000 7130 false false 3 true true 6572000000 6572 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 5 Services 2 us-gaap_SalesRevenueServicesNet us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 8099000000 8099 false false 2 false true 7771000000 7771 false false 3 false true 7389000000 7389 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 6 Total net sales 2 us-gaap_Revenues us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 15615000000 15615 false false 2 false true 14901000000 14901 false false 3 false true 13961000000 13961 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 7 Cost of sales: 1 us-gaap_CostOfGoodsAndServicesSoldAbstract us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 8 Products 2 us-gaap_CostOfGoodsSold us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 6671000000 6671 false false 2 false true 6380000000 6380 false false 3 false true 5844000000 5844 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 9 Services 2 us-gaap_CostOfServices us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 7288000000 7288 false false 2 false true 6962000000 6962 false false 3 false true 6669000000 6669 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 10 Total cost of sales 2 us-gaap_CostOfGoodsAndServicesSold us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 13959000000 13959 false false 2 false true 13342000000 13342 false false 3 false true 12513000000 12513 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 11 Litigation gain 1 us-gaap_GainLossRelatedToLitigationSettlement us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 0 0 false false 2 false true 126000000 126 false false 3 false true 0 0 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 12 Operating income 1 us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 1656000000 1656 false false 2 false true 1685000000 1685 false false 3 false true 1448000000 1448 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 13 Interest and other income, net 1 us-gaap_NonoperatingGainsLosses us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 19000000 19 false false 2 false true 28000000 28 false false 3 false true 31000000 31 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 14 Interest expense 1 us-gaap_InterestExpense us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 279000000 279 false false 2 false true 290000000 290 false false 3 false true 314000000 314 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 15 Debt retirement charge 1 lll_DebtRetirementCharge lll false debit duration monetary Debt retirement charge. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 10000000 10 false false 2 false true 0 0 false false 3 false true 0 0 false false Debt retirement charge. No authoritative reference available. true 16 Income from continuing operations before income taxes 1 lll_IncomeFromContinuingOperationsBeforeIncomeTaxes lll false credit duration monetary Income from continuing operations before income taxes. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 1386000000 1386 false false 2 false true 1423000000 1423 false false 3 false true 1165000000 1165 false false Income from continuing operations before income taxes. No authoritative reference available. false 17 Provision for income taxes 1 us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 475000000 475 false false 2 false true 494000000 494 false false 3 false true 411000000 411 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 18 Income from continuing operations 1 us-gaap_IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsIncludingPortionAttributableToNoncontrollingInterest us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 911000000 911 false false 2 false true 929000000 929 false false 3 false true 754000000 754 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 19 Gain on sale of a business, net of income taxes of $13 million 1 us-gaap_DiscontinuedOperationGainLossOnDisposalOfDiscontinuedOperationNetOfTax us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 0 0 false false 2 false true 20000000 20 false false 3 false true 0 0 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 20 Net income 1 us-gaap_ProfitLoss us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 911000000 911 false false 2 false true 949000000 949 false false 3 false true 754000000 754 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 21 Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 1 us-gaap_NetIncomeLossAttributableToNoncontrollingInterest us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 10000000 10 false false 2 false true 11000000 11 false false 3 false true 9000000 9 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 22 Net income attributable to L-3 1 us-gaap_NetIncomeLoss us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 901000000 901 false false 2 false true 938000000 938 false false 3 false true 745000000 745 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 23 Less: Net income allocable to participating securities 1 lll_NetIncomeAllocableToParticipatingSecurities lll false debit duration monetary Net income allocable to participating securities. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 8000000 8 false false 2 false true 9000000 9 false false 3 false true 5000000 5 false false Net income allocable to participating securities. No authoritative reference available. true 24 Net income allocable to L-3 Holdings' common shareholders 1 us-gaap_NetIncomeLossAvailableToCommonStockholdersBasic us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 true true 893000000 893 false false 2 true true 929000000 929 false false 3 true true 740000000 740 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 26 Basic: 2 us-gaap_EarningsPerShareBasicAbstract us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 27 Income from continuing operations 3 us-gaap_IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsPerBasicShare us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true 7.65 7.65 false false 2 true true 7.5 7.5 false false 3 true true 5.92 5.92 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 28 Gain on sale of a business, net of income taxes 3 us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxPerBasicShare us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true 0 0 false false 2 true true 0.17 0.17 false false 3 true true 0 0 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 29 Net income 3 us-gaap_EarningsPerShareBasic us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true 7.65 7.65 false false 2 true true 7.67 7.67 false false 3 true true 5.92 5.92 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 30 Diluted: 2 us-gaap_EarningsPerShareDilutedAbstract us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 31 Income from continuing operations 3 us-gaap_IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsPerDilutedShare us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true 7.61 7.61 false false 2 true true 7.43 7.43 false false 3 true true 5.86 5.86 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 32 Gain on sale of a business, net of income taxes 3 us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxPerDilutedShare us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true 0 0 false false 2 true true 0.16 0.16 false false 3 true true 0 0 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 33 Net income 3 us-gaap_EarningsPerShareDiluted us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true 7.61 7.61 false false 2 true true 7.59 7.59 false false 3 true true 5.86 5.86 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 34 L-3 Holdings' weighted average common shares outstanding: 1 us-gaap_WeightedAverageNumberOfSharesOutstandingAbstract us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 35 Basic 2 us-gaap_WeightedAverageNumberOfSharesOutstandingBasic us-gaap true na duration shares No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 116800000 116.8 false false 2 false true 121200000 121.2 false false 3 false true 124900000 124.9 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 36 Diluted 2 us-gaap_WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding us-gaap true na duration shares No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 117400000 117.4 false false 2 false true 122400000 122.4 false false 3 false true 126200000 126.2 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true false 3 33 false Millions HundredThousands Hundreds false true