Retirement Plans - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	11 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Jan. 01, 2016	Jan. 30, 2015	Jan. 31, 2014
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Maximum percentage certain employees can defer from salary for certain plans	20.00%
Projected benefit obligation	$ 106	$ 121
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation, Period Increase (Decrease)	15
Defined Benefit Plan, Actuarial Gain (Loss)	13
Fair value of plan assets	108	113
Funded status of plan	2	(8)
Deferred Compensation Plans
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Compensation expense	$ 56	$ 62	$ 81

Participants maximum percentage that an employee can defer of their eligible salary for 401 (k) plan.

No definition available.

Name:	ldos_ParticipantsMaximumPercentageOfEligibleSalaryDefer
Namespace Prefix:	ldos_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	ldos_PensionAndOtherPostretirementBenefitsDisclosureLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	ldos_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of gain (loss) related to change in benefit obligation resulting from changes in actuarial assumptions, for example, but not limited to, interest, mortality, employee turnover, salary, and temporary deviation from the substantive plan.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Gain or Loss
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49168827

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (a)(4)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=58740216&loc=d3e1928-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanActuarialGainLoss
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

1) For defined benefit pension plans, the benefit obligation is the projected benefit obligation, which is the actuarial present value as of a date of all benefits attributed by the pension benefit formula to employee service rendered prior to that date. 2) For other postretirement defined benefit plans, the benefit obligation is the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation, which is the actuarial present value of benefits attributed to employee service rendered to a particular date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=58740216&loc=d3e1928-114920

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Projected Benefit Obligation
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6522206

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Accumulated Postretirement Benefit Obligation
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6503904

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanBenefitObligation
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Net increase or decrease in the plan benefit obligation during the reporting period.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanBenefitObligationPeriodIncreaseDecrease
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Assets, usually stocks, bonds, and other investments, that have been segregated and restricted (usually in a trust) to provide benefits, at their fair value as of the measurement date. Plan assets include amounts contributed by the employer (and by employees for a contributory plan) and amounts earned from investing the contributions, less benefits paid. If a plan has liabilities other than for benefits, those non-benefit obligations may be considered as reductions of plan assets.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 30
-Section 35
-Paragraph 50
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49178875&loc=d3e12355-114930

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=58740216&loc=d3e1928-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanFairValueOfPlanAssets
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The funded status is measured as the difference between the fair value of plan assets and the benefit obligation. Will normally be the same as the net Defined Benefit Plan, Amounts Recognized in Balance Sheet, Total.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=58740216&loc=d3e1928-114920

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21915240&loc=d3e1703-114919

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanFundedStatusOfPlan
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The amount of the cost recognized during the period for defined contribution plans.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 70
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49170846&loc=d3e28014-114942

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanCostRecognized
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DeferredCompensationArrangementWithIndividualPostretirementBenefitsByTypeOfDeferredCompensationAxis=us-gaap_DeferredCompensationArrangementWithIndividualByTypeOfCompensationPensionAndOtherPostretirementBenefitsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: