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The results of experimental laboratory investigations of possible mechanisms of the impact of lightning and thunderclouds on aircraft radomes and equipment inside them are presented. An artificial thunderstorm cell of negative polarity and model aircraft radomes with lightning diverter strips have been used. Experiments have shown that the discharge processes in a radome model significantly depend on the magnitude of the charge that accumulates on the inner and outer surfaces of the radome shell. It is established that the accumulation of large-magnitude charges of different signs on the outer and/or inner surface of the radome (up to hundreds of µC/m²) shell leads to a multivariance of the mechanisms of development of discharge processes inside the radome model, along its surface, and in the space near it. Significant influence of the “reverse” discharge from the antenna model under the radome on the types of current impulses recorded on the antennas under impact of the artificial thunderstorm cell is established. Peculiarities of the discharge formation in the radome model when using solid and segmented diverter strips for its protection are revealed. Parameters of the current impulses registered on the diverter strips and the antennas have been determined. Based on the conducted research, the possible mechanisms of the impact of thunderclouds and lightning discharges on radio-transparent aircraft radomes and the equipment inside them are considered. Full article

The aim of this contribution is to design and test the lightning protection of an aircraft radome exposed to direct lightning strikes. The influencing parameters are investigated on different radome wall samples equipped with solid and segmented diverter strips. The effectiveness of the lightning interception and protection measures is tested with different high-voltage waveforms and representative high-current pulses. The tests show that reliable radome lightning protection can be achieved by an optimized arrangement of solid and segmented diverter strips, even if the aircraft radome has a huge size, with dimensions up to several meters. Full article