Segment Information (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Apr. 02, 2016 USD ($) segment	Apr. 04, 2015 USD ($)
Operating and reportable business segments
Number of business operating segments \| segment	5
Number of reportable business segments \| segment	5
Revenues
Manufacturing revenues	$ 3,181	$ 3,051
Finance revenues	20	22
Total revenues	3,201	3,073
Reconciliation of Operating Profit (Loss) from Segments to Consolidated
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	215	184
Operating Segment
Segment Profit
Segment Profit	280	259
Corporate, non-segment
Reconciliation of Operating Profit (Loss) from Segments to Consolidated
Corporate expenses and other, net	(32)	(42)
Manufacturing group \| Reconciling Items
Reconciliation of Operating Profit (Loss) from Segments to Consolidated
Interest expense, net for Manufacturing group	(33)	(33)
Textron Aviation \| Manufacturing group
Revenues
Manufacturing revenues	1,091	1,051
Textron Aviation \| Manufacturing group \| Operating Segment
Segment Profit
Segment Profit	73	67
Bell \| Manufacturing group
Revenues
Manufacturing revenues	814	813
Bell \| Manufacturing group \| Operating Segment
Segment Profit
Segment Profit	82	76
Textron Systems \| Manufacturing group
Revenues
Manufacturing revenues	324	315
Textron Systems \| Manufacturing group \| Operating Segment
Segment Profit
Segment Profit	29	28
Industrial \| Manufacturing group
Revenues
Manufacturing revenues	952	872
Industrial \| Manufacturing group \| Operating Segment
Segment Profit
Segment Profit	91	82
Finance
Revenues
Finance revenues	20	22
Finance \| Operating Segment
Segment Profit
Segment Profit	$ 5	$ 6

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Number of operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise: (a) that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same enterprise), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. An operating segment may engage in business activities for which it has yet to earn revenues, for example, start-up operations may be operating segments before earning revenues.

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Amount of revenue recognized from goods sold, services rendered, insurance premiums, or other activities that constitute an earning process. Includes, but is not limited to, investment and interest income before deduction of interest expense when recognized as a component of revenue, and sales and trading gain (loss).

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Total revenue from sale of goods and services rendered during the reporting period, in the normal course of business, reduced by sales returns and allowances, and sales discounts.

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