BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Basis Of Presentation [Abstract]
Basis Of Accounting [Policy Text Block]	1. BASIS OF PRESENTATION Curtiss-Wright Corporation and its subsidiaries (“the Corporation” or “the Company”) is a diversified, multinational manufacturing and service company that designs, manufactures, and overhauls precision components and systems and provides highly engineered products and services to the aerospace, defense, automotive, shipbuilding, processing, oil, petrochemical, agricultural equipment, railroad, power generation, security, and metalworking industries. Operations are conducted through 59 manufacturing facilities and 64 metal treatment service facilities. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Curtiss-Wright and its majority-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Corporation have been prepared in conformity with the United States of America generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in the accompanying financial statements. The most significant of these estimates includes the estimate of costs to complete long-term contracts under the percentage-of-completion accounting methods, the estimate of useful lives for property, plant, and equipment, cash flow estimates used for testing the recoverability of assets, pension plan and postretirement obligation assumptions, estimates for inventory obsolescence, estimates for the valuation and useful lives of intangible assets, warranty reserves, legal reserves, and the estimate of future environmental costs. Actual results may differ from these estimates. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation have been reflected in these financial statements. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Corporation's 2010 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of trends or of the operating results for a full year.
Accounting Standards Update 201017 [Policy Text Block]	Revenue Recognition – Milestone Method In April 2010, new guidance was issued that provides the criteria that should be met for determining whether the milestone method of revenue recognition is appropriate, as well as the associated disclosure requirements. The new guidance clarifies that a vendor can recognize consideration that is contingent on achieving a milestone as revenue in the period in which the milestone is achieved only if the milestone meets all criteria to be considered substantive. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2010. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition.
Accounting Standards Update 200913 [Policy Text Block]	Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables In September 2009, new guidance was issued on revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables. The new guidance modifies the requirements for determining whether a deliverable can be treated as a separate unit of accounting by removing the criteria that verifiable and objective evidence of fair value exists for undelivered items, establishes a selling price hierarchy to help entities allocate arrangement consideration to separate units of account, requires the relative selling price allocation method for all arrangements, and expands required disclosures. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2010. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition.
Accounting Standards Update 200914 [Policy Text Block]	Certain Revenue Arrangements That Include Software Elements In September 2009, new guidance was issued on certain revenue arrangements that include software elements. The new guidance amended past guidance on software revenue recognition to exclude from scope all tangible products containing both software and non-software elements that function together to interdependently deliver the product's essential functionality. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2010. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition.
Fair Value Of Financial Measurements [Policy Text Block]	Fair Value Measurement: Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) In May 2011, new guidance was issued that amends the current fair value measurement and disclosure guidance to increase transparency around valuation inputs and investment categorization. The new guidance does not extend the use of fair value accounting, but provides guidance on how it should be applied where its use is already required or permitted by other standards within U.S. GAAP or IFRS. The new guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning on or after December 15, 2011 and is to be adopted prospectively as early adoption is not permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition.
Other Comprehensive Income [Policy Text Block]	Other Comprehensive Income: Presentation of Comprehensive Income In June 2011, new guidance was issued that amends the current comprehensive income guidance. The amendment allows the option to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single or continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The amendments in this update do not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income or when an item of other comprehensive income must be reclassified to net income. The new guidance is to be applied retrospectively and is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods, beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this new guidance will not have an impact on the Corporation's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows as it only requires a change in the format of the current presentation of other comprehensive income.
Goodwill Testing For Impairment	Intangibles—Goodwill and Other: Testing Goodwill for Impairment In September 2011, an accounting standard update regarding testing of goodwill for impairment was issued. This standard update gives companies the option to perform a qualitative assessment to first assess whether the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If an entity determines it is not more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is unnecessary. The new guidance is to be applied prospectively effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests beginning after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

1. BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Curtiss-Wright Corporation and its subsidiaries (“the Corporation” or “the Company”) is a diversified, multinational manufacturing and service company that designs, manufactures, and overhauls precision components and systems and provides highly engineered products and services to the aerospace, defense, automotive, shipbuilding, processing, oil, petrochemical, agricultural equipment, railroad, power generation, security, and metalworking industries. Operations are conducted through 59 manufacturing facilities and 64 metal treatment service facilities.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Curtiss-Wright and its majority-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Corporation have been prepared in conformity with the United States of America generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in the accompanying financial statements. The most significant of these estimates includes the estimate of costs to complete long-term contracts under the percentage-of-completion accounting methods, the estimate of useful lives for property, plant, and equipment, cash flow estimates used for testing the recoverability of assets, pension plan and postretirement obligation assumptions, estimates for inventory obsolescence, estimates for the valuation and useful lives of intangible assets, warranty reserves, legal reserves, and the estimate of future environmental costs. Actual results may differ from these estimates. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation have been reflected in these financial statements.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Corporation's 2010 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of trends or of the operating results for a full year.

Accounting Standards Update 201017 [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition – Milestone Method

In April 2010, new guidance was issued that provides the criteria that should be met for determining whether the milestone method of revenue recognition is appropriate, as well as the associated disclosure requirements. The new guidance clarifies that a vendor can recognize consideration that is contingent on achieving a milestone as revenue in the period in which the milestone is achieved only if the milestone meets all criteria to be considered substantive. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2010. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition.

Accounting Standards Update 200913 [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables

In September 2009, new guidance was issued on revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables. The new guidance modifies the requirements for determining whether a deliverable can be treated as a separate unit of accounting by removing the criteria that verifiable and objective evidence of fair value exists for undelivered items, establishes a selling price hierarchy to help entities allocate arrangement consideration to separate units of account, requires the relative selling price allocation method for all arrangements, and expands required disclosures. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2010. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition.

Accounting Standards Update 200914 [Policy Text Block]

Certain Revenue Arrangements That Include Software Elements

In September 2009, new guidance was issued on certain revenue arrangements that include software elements. The new guidance amended past guidance on software revenue recognition to exclude from scope all tangible products containing both software and non-software elements that function together to interdependently deliver the product's essential functionality. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2010. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition.

Fair Value Of Financial Measurements [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value Measurement: Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”)

In May 2011, new guidance was issued that amends the current fair value measurement and disclosure guidance to increase transparency around valuation inputs and investment categorization. The new guidance does not extend the use of fair value accounting, but provides guidance on how it should be applied where its use is already required or permitted by other standards within U.S. GAAP or IFRS. The new guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning on or after December 15, 2011 and is to be adopted prospectively as early adoption is not permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition.

Other Comprehensive Income [Policy Text Block]

Other Comprehensive Income: Presentation of Comprehensive Income

In June 2011, new guidance was issued that amends the current comprehensive income guidance. The amendment allows the option to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single or continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The amendments in this update do not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income or when an item of other comprehensive income must be reclassified to net income. The new guidance is to be applied retrospectively and is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods, beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this new guidance will not have an impact on the Corporation's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows as it only requires a change in the format of the current presentation of other comprehensive income.

Goodwill Testing For Impairment

Intangibles—Goodwill and Other: Testing Goodwill for Impairment

In September 2011, an accounting standard update regarding testing of goodwill for impairment was issued. This standard update gives companies the option to perform a qualitative assessment to first assess whether the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If an entity determines it is not more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is unnecessary. The new guidance is to be applied prospectively effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests beginning after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition.