With more than 400 aircraft delivered to date, the Airbus A350 keeps building its list of clients.  

Annually, the A350 gets struck by lightning 1 to 2 times, like the A330. Given the current number of Airbus A350’s global fleet, this means that there are approximately 400 to 800 lightning strikes per year. 

Both the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787 feature more than 50% of composite materials in their structures. That is because they possess superior properties when compared to metallic materials, such as lighter weight, better corrosion and fatigue resistance, and lower thermal expansion.  

Airbus suggested Boeing’s use of composite materials for the 787 fuselages was premature, and that the new A350 XWB was to feature large carbon fiber panels for the main fuselage skin. After facing criticism for maintenance costs, Airbus confirmed in early September 2007 the adoption of composite fuselage frames for the aircraft structure. The composite frames would feature aluminum strips to ensure the electrical continuity of the fuselage (for dissipating lightning strikes). Airbus used a full mockup fuselage to develop the wiring, a different approach from the A380, on which the wiring was all done on computers.   

In the development phase, the A350 systems were tested and monitored by the Dutch innovation company called Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR). They developed the In-Flight Lightning Damage Assessment System (ILDAS) for this purpose. ILDAS is a special measurement system that records the lightning currents on airborne commercial aircraft. For this system, NLR developed the advanced measurement electronics that convert electrical signals into digital data, placing the sensors on the inside of the cabin. 

The challenge for ILDAS’s designers and developers was to devise a system that would not fail at the critical moment, thus recording accurate measurements during lightning strikes. This was accomplished during the icing test flights. NLR constructed 13 data acquisition units for the A350 prototype, which were installed throughout the fuselage and measured the electrical and magnetic fields. When the system detected that lightning struck the aircraft, all units immediately conducted highly synchronized measurements, and then quickly saved the data before the next occurrence.

Despite the frequency of lightning strikes on the Airbus A350, no major aircraft incidents result from the occurrence. 

When struck by lightning, the aircraft is grounded and thoroughly inspected for damage such as pits and burn marks by ground engineers to guarantee its airworthiness before the next flight. The inspection alone requites 3 engineers and 12 hours to complete.  

To assess the status of the aircraft, the engineers will move from station to station, from stringer to stringer, using additional equipment to inspect the top of the fuselage and the tail. The tail is 17 meters high and not easy to reach while the aircraft elevators and stabilizers are blocking the man lifter equipment. Often during the inspection, additional damage can be caused. 

The use of drones for aircraft inspections brings game-changing results for aviation Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO). All aspects of the inspection procedure, from drone flight to report generation, are automated, allowing the ground team to easily analyze and report the status of an aircraft.  

In the event of a lightning strike, using a drone to perform aircraft inspection on the Airbus A350 can decrease the time by 75%. With a drone, the entire process is no longer a matter of hours (12 hours), but minutes (60 minutes). Thus, our drone will safely fly around the aircraft and capture high-resolution pictures, allowing aircraft engineers to make a faster damage assessment.