Product warranties The Company provides product
warranties in conjunction with certain product sales.
The majority
of the Company’s warranties are issued by the Commercial Airplanes
segment. Generally, aircraft sales are accompanied by a 3 to
4 year standard warranty for systems, accessories, equipment,
parts, and software manufactured by the Company or manufactured
to certain standards under its authorization. These warranties
cover factors such as nonconformance to specifications and
defects in material and design. Warranties issued by the Space
and Communications and Military Aircraft and Missile Systems
segments principally relate to sales of military aircraft and
weapons hardware. These sales are generally accompanied by
a six to twelve-month warranty period and cover systems, accessories,
equipment, parts, and software manufactured by the Company
to certain contractual specifications. These warranties cover
factors such as non-conformance to specifications and defects
in material and workmanship.
Estimated standard warranty costs
are recorded in the period in which the related product sales
occur. The warranty liability recorded at each balance sheet
date reflects the estimated number of months of warranty
coverage outstanding for products delivered times the average
of historical
monthly warranty payments, as well as additional amounts
for certain major warranty issues that exceed a normal claims
level.
The following table summarizes product warranty activity
recorded during 2002.

Material variable interests
in unconsolidated entities The
Company is currently assessing the application of FIN 46 as
it relates to its variable interests. While the Company is
currently not required to consolidate the full amount of the
ETCs, EETCs or the Sea Launch venture in which it has invested,
it is unable to definitively conclude at this time whether
consolidation or disclosure will be required for these investments
upon full adoption
of FIN 46. The Company’s investment in ETCs and EETCs aggregated $455 at December
31, 2002. The Company’s total maximum exposure to loss from ETCs and EETCs is
$637, comprised of the $455 investment balance, rights to collateral estimated
at $101 related to liquidity obligations satisfied in February 2003, and a maximum
potential exposure of $81 relating to potential shortfall interest payments.
During the year ended December 31, 2002, the Company recorded revenues of $25,
cash inflows of $41, and impairment expense of $79 relating to these investments.
As of December 31, 2002, the VIE (ETCs and EETCs) in which the Company has invested
have total
assets of approximately $4,200 and total debt (which is nonrecourse
to the Company) of approximately $3,700. Related to
the Sea Launch venture, the Company’s total maximum exposure to loss is $621
assuming no estimated proceeds from collateral or recourse from other venture
partners, comprised of $335 of exposure related to guarantees to certain Sea
Launch creditors ($535 net of $200 in established reserves), $33 of exposure
related to performance guarantees provided by the Company to a Sea Launch customer
and $253 of financial exposure related to accounts receivable/inventory reflected
in the consolidated financial statements. The total assets and total liabilities
of the Sea
Launch venture each represent less than 4% of the Company’s consolidated total
assets and total liabilities as of December 31, 2002. The Company made no additional
capital contributions to the Sea Launch venture during the year ended December
31, 2002. |