Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019 shares
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	GENERAL DYNAMICS CORPORATION
Entity Central Index Key	0000040533
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2019
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	288,871,990
Trading Symbol	GD