"Black wing" MS-21 will save the plane from a direct lightning strike

The Russian airliner MS-21 continues to improve. This time, the composite wing received a thin copper mesh, spreading its cells over the entire surface of the part. This will help to operate aircraft in inclement weather.


Let us remind you that the “black wing” for the MS-21 is produced in Ulyanovsk. The only enterprise of this type in the country is located there. The wing is called black for a reason - it consists of aluminum honeycombs inside and hundreds of layers of carbon fiber, also known as carbon fiber. This material has a characteristic color. That's why the wing is called black.

Now the most important aircraft part has been covered with a thin copper mesh. This is protection against lightning strikes. As tests have shown, electrical discharges entering the wing immediately “spread” over the entire area, including the fuselage. It turns out that the plane is not damaged by lightning.


Of course, no one will deliberately fly in a thunderstorm - it is too dangerous and unpredictable. But in laboratory conditions it was possible to create a complete simulation of lightning, thanks to the equipment.

The head of the design bureau of Yakovlev PJSC claims that the MS-21 will receive comprehensive protection from electrical discharges of various origins. It guarantees that the lightning resistance of aircraft will be at the highest level.

All that remains is to wait for the technology to be implemented on production airliners.