Arrangements With Off-Balance Sheet Risk (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Mar. 31, 2011 Indemnification Agreement [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Credit Guarantees [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Market Value Guarantee [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 ULA [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 IRB Asset Net Of Capital Lease Obligation [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 IRB Asset Net Of Capital Lease Obligation [Member]	Mar. 31, 2011 Boeing Portion Of Additional Contract Losses [Member] Indemnification Agreement [Member]	Mar. 31, 2011 Indemnification Payment [Member] Indemnification Agreement [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Range of years between the initial sale of aircraft and repurchase			10 to 15 years
Expiration of inventory supply agreement			March 31, 2021
Maximum exposure to Loss	$ 212		$ 212	$ 232	$ 279						$ 18	$ 261
Delta launch program inventories included in contributed assets	1,360		1,360
Delta launch program inventories subject to an inventory supply agreement	1,860		1,860
Contributed inventories consumed by ULA	1,211		1,211
Advanced payments received for contributed inventories	720		720
Revenues and cost of sales recorded under the inventory supply agreement			483
Costs partially indemnified by us but not recoverable under government contracts		271
Amount of potential non-recoverability of deferred production costs	114
Potential decrease in earnings			58
Guarantees expiration period, years						nine	seven
Potential additional pre-tax losses and indemnification payments, maximum								317
GECC Loss Sharing Arrangement, Maximum Future Cash Exposure To Losses	212		212	232	279						18	261
GECC loss sharing arrangement, accrued liability	51		51	82
IRB asset, net of capital lease obligation	$ 9,313		$ 9,313	$ 8,931					$ 783	$ 822