Arrangements With Off-Balance Sheet Risk (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Delta launch program inventories included in contributed assets			$ 1,360
Delta launch program inventories subject to an inventory supply agreement			1,860
Expiration date of inventory supply agreement			March 31, 2021
Contributed inventories consumed by ULA			1,221
Advanced payments received for contributed inventories			1,020
Revenues and cost of sales recorded under the inventory supply agreement			717
Potentially unrecoverable deferred production costs		271
Additional potentially unrecoverable deferred production costs	114
ULA [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Loss contingency, estimate of possible loss			317
Indemnification Agreement [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Maximum exposure to loss			280
Other Indemnifications [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Maximum Potential Payments	212		144
Carrying Amount of Liabilities	51		33
Credit Guarantees [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Maximum Potential Payments	17		13
Carrying Amount of Liabilities	2		2
Guarantees expiration period (in years)			eight
Residual Value Guarantees [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Maximum Potential Payments	29		11
Carrying Amount of Liabilities	6		1
Guarantees expiration period (in years)			six
Indemnification Payment [Member] | Indemnification Agreement [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Maximum exposure to loss			261
Boeing Portion Of Additional Contract Losses [Member] | Indemnification Agreement [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Maximum exposure to loss			19
Minimum [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Repurchase commitments maturities			10 years
Maximum [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Repurchase commitments maturities			15 years
ULA [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Loss contingency, estimate of possible loss			$ 35