Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail)			3 Months Ended								8 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			16 Months Ended
	Aug. 24, 2016	Nov. 06, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) program $ / shares	Sep. 24, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares	Jun. 25, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares	Mar. 26, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares	Sep. 25, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares	Jun. 26, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares	Mar. 27, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares	Aug. 23, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) program $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) program
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Acquisitions of businesses and investments in affiliates												$ 0	$ 0	$ 9,003,000,000
Additional charge for performance matter on EADGE-T, gross						$ 120,000,000
Additional charge for performance matter on EADGE-T, after tax						$ 74,000,000
Additional charge for performance matter on EADGE-T, after tax (in dollars per share) | $ / shares						$ 0.25
Cumulative losses, including reserves												260,000,000
Operating profit			$ 1,859,000,000	$ 1,428,000,000	$ 1,485,000,000	$ 1,149,000,000	$ 1,428,000,000	$ 1,588,000,000	$ 1,375,000,000	$ 1,158,000,000		5,921,000,000	5,549,000,000	4,712,000,000
Net earnings			$ (642,000,000)	$ 939,000,000	$ 942,000,000	$ 763,000,000	$ 988,000,000	$ 2,395,000,000	$ 1,021,000,000	$ 898,000,000		$ 2,002,000,000	$ 5,302,000,000	$ 3,605,000,000
Diluted earnings per share (in dollars per share) | $ / shares			$ (2.25)	$ 3.24	$ 3.23	$ 2.61	$ 3.35	$ 7.93	$ 3.32	$ 2.91		$ 6.89	$ 17.49	$ 11.46
Service method, revenue recognition interval												6 months
Independent research and development costs charged to cost of sales												$ 1,200,000,000	$ 988,000,000	$ 817,000,000
Financing receivable, significant sales												698,000,000
Gain (loss) on sale of accounts receivable												0
Depreciation												760,000,000	747,000,000	716,000,000
Capitalized internal-use software, net			$ 424,000,000				$ 427,000,000					424,000,000	427,000,000		$ 424,000,000
Capitalized internal-use software accumulated amortization			2,000,000,000				1,900,000,000					2,000,000,000	1,900,000,000		2,000,000,000
Goodwill			10,807,000,000				10,764,000,000					$ 10,807,000,000	10,764,000,000	10,695,000,000	10,807,000,000
Weighted average remaining contractual life, vested												3 years
Percentage of gains and losses recognition to the extent exciding greater of plan assets or obligations												10.00%
Average future service period of employees expected to receive benefits under the plans												9 years
Time period environmental costs and recovery of environmental costs are projected over, years												20 years
Fair value of trading securities			1,400,000,000				1,200,000,000					$ 1,400,000,000	1,200,000,000		1,400,000,000
Net gains (losses) on marketable securities												150,000,000	66,000,000	(11,000,000)
Total equity method investments			1,400,000,000				1,400,000,000					1,400,000,000	1,400,000,000		1,400,000,000
Net earnings from equity method investments												207,000,000	443,000,000	320,000,000
Equity method investee impairment														90,000,000
ASC 606 | Scenario, Plan
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Cumulative effect of new accounting principle in period of adoption, percent increase in current assets				2.00%
Cumulative effect of new accounting principle in period of adoption, percent increase in current liabilities				2.00%
Contracts Accounted for under Percentage of Completion
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Operating profit												1,500,000,000	1,500,000,000	1,700,000,000
Net earnings												$ 980,000,000	$ 950,000,000	$ 1,100,000,000
Diluted earnings per share (in dollars per share) | $ / shares												$ 3.37	$ 3.13	$ 3.50
Minimum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized												3 years
Minimum | Customer relationships
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized												4 years
Minimum | Customer programs
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized												9 years
Maximum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized												20 years
Maximum | Customer relationships
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized												10 years
Maximum | Customer programs
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized												20 years
Designated as hedges | Interest rate swaps
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Aggregate notional amount of derivatives			1,200,000,000				1,200,000,000					$ 1,200,000,000	$ 1,200,000,000		1,200,000,000
Designated as hedges | Foreign currency contracts
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Aggregate notional amount of derivatives			$ 4,100,000,000				4,000,000,000					$ 4,100,000,000	4,000,000,000		$ 4,100,000,000
Space
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of commercial satellite programs with performance issues | program			2									2			2
Goodwill			$ 1,587,000,000				1,585,000,000					$ 1,587,000,000	1,585,000,000	$ 1,588,000,000	$ 1,587,000,000
Net earnings from equity method investments												$ 205,000,000	325,000,000	245,000,000
Buildings | Minimum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, estimated life (years)												10 years
Buildings | Maximum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, estimated life (years)												40 years
Machinery and equipment | Minimum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, estimated life (years)												5 years
Machinery and equipment | Maximum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, estimated life (years)												15 years
Capitalized Software
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Capitalized internal-use software amortization												$ 123,000,000	136,000,000	$ 161,000,000
Capitalized Software | Minimum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, estimated life (years)												2 years
Capitalized Software | Maximum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, estimated life (years)												6 years
Operating Profit | Accounting Standards Update 2017-07
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Cumulative effect of new accounting principle in period of adoption, increase (decrease)			846,000,000				471,000,000					$ 846,000,000	471,000,000		846,000,000
Nonoperating Income (Loss) | Accounting Standards Update 2017-07
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Cumulative effect of new accounting principle in period of adoption, increase (decrease)			(846,000,000)				$ (471,000,000)					$ (846,000,000)	$ (471,000,000)		$ (846,000,000)
AWE Management Limited
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Ownership interest percentage owned immediately before acquisition	33.00%
Ownership interest percentage owned subsequent acquisition	51.00%
AWE Management Limited | Customer relationships
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized	8 years
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Acquisitions of businesses and investments in affiliates		$ 9,000,000,000
Goodwill		$ 2,842,000,000
Segment Concentration Risk | Net Sales | AWE Management Limited | Space
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Concentration percentage												100.00%			100.00%
Segment Concentration Risk | Operating profit | AWE Management Limited | Space
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Concentration percentage												51.00%			51.00%
Equity Method Investment Risk | Net Sales | AWE Management Limited | Space
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Concentration percentage												0.00%
Equity Method Investment Risk | Net Earnings | AWE Management Limited | Space
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Concentration percentage											33.00%
LM2100
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Commercial satellite cumulative losses on development			$ 305,000,000									$ 305,000,000			$ 305,000,000
Commercial satellite losses on development, after tax												$ 83,000,000
Commercial satellite losses on development, after tax (in dollars per share) | $ / shares												$ 0.29
Independent research and development costs charged to cost of sales												$ 135,000,000
AMMROC
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Equity method investee impairment						$ 64,000,000						$ 64,000,000
Increase in net earnings due to profit rate adjustments						$ 40,000,000
Increase in diluted earnings per common share due to profit rate adjustments (in dollars per share) | $ / shares						$ 0.14