Boeing and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have presented the results of a joint research project aimed at developing more advanced methods of protecting aircraft from lightning strikes. The new approach, based on physics-based models and computer simulations, enables more accurate predictions of where lightning is likely to strike and how it may subsequently move across an aircraft’s surface. In the future, this could improve the design and certification of next-generation aircraft.

Although lightning strikes are a well-understood phenomenon in aviation, and modern aircraft are designed and certified to withstand them safely, the development of new structures and materials presents additional challenges. This is particularly relevant to unconventional aircraft configurations, such as blended-wing body designs and truss-braced wings, for which existing lightning protection assessment methods may not be equally applicable.

The research, published in the scientific journal IEEE Access, was conducted by MIT researchers Nathanael Jenkins and Professor Carmen Guerra-Garcia in collaboration with Boeing specialists Louisa Michael and Ben Westin. The computer model combines computational fluid dynamics, electrostatics, and simulations of lightning movement across aircraft surfaces. This makes it possible to predict not only the areas where lightning is most likely to initially attach to an aircraft, but also how the electrical discharge may subsequently move across its surface.

The results are used to create lightning protection zoning maps, which determine the level of protection required for different parts of an aircraft’s structure. Zones 1A and 1B represent areas with the greatest exposure to initial lightning attachment and require the highest level of protection, while Zones 2A and 2B cover areas with moderate exposure. Zone 3 refers to parts of the aircraft where the probability of direct lightning attachment is lowest.

Traditional methods of determining these zones have largely relied on decades of operational experience, data collected during flight operations, and aircraft inspections following lightning strikes. Although this approach has proven effective for existing aircraft designs, Boeing and MIT aim to develop a method that will enable reliable lightning protection assessments during the early design stages of entirely new aircraft configurations.

During the research, the new method was validated using an aircraft with a conventional tube-and-wing configuration. The computer simulation results showed strong agreement with established lightning zoning methods, confirming the model’s applicability to familiar aircraft structures. Researchers believe these findings represent an important step toward its future application to unconventional aircraft designs.

Professor Carmen Guerra-Garcia highlighted how the decade-long collaboration between MIT and Boeing combines fundamental scientific research and advanced computational modeling with practical expertise in aircraft design and lightning protection systems. The shared objective is to develop tools that provide a better understanding of electrical discharge behavior and support the design of future aircraft.

Boeing Chief Technology Officer Lane Ballard emphasized that physics-based methods could play an important role in the future development, certification, and safety of aircraft. According to Ballard, the project demonstrates how collaboration between industry and academia can transform advanced scientific research into practical engineering solutions.

The development of such simulation tools could allow manufacturers to determine lightning protection requirements for individual aircraft components more precisely, potentially enabling more efficient use of materials and reductions in structural weight. Although the approach remains at the research stage and has yet to see widespread industry application, its development represents an important step toward adapting aviation safety standards to future generations of aircraft.