Change in Estimate Under Percentage of Completion (Details) - USD ($)
$ / shares in Units, $ in Millions
3 Months Ended 9 Months Ended
Oct. 02, 2016
Sep. 27, 2015
Oct. 02, 2016
Sep. 27, 2015
Change in Accounting Estimate [Line Items]        
Operating income $ 806 $ 697 $ 2,378 $ 2,185
Income from continuing operations attributable to Raytheon Company $ 528 $ 448 $ 1,666 $ 1,503
Diluted earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations attributable to Raytheon Company $ 1.79 $ 1.47 $ 5.60 $ 4.91
Contracts Accounted for under Percentage of Completion [Member]        
Change in Accounting Estimate [Line Items]        
Operating income $ 114 $ 84 $ 269 $ 245
Income from continuing operations attributable to Raytheon Company $ 74 $ 54 $ 187 $ 159
Diluted earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations attributable to Raytheon Company $ 0.25 $ 0.18 $ 0.63 $ 0.52