Plain English Meaning

A thin metal screen built into the outer skin of a composite aircraft so that if lightning hits, the electricity can travel across the surface and leave the aircraft instead of punching a hole through it.

Full Definition

Thin sheets of woven or expanded metal wire (typically aluminum or copper) embedded in or bonded to the outer surface of composite aircraft structures to provide a conductive path for lightning current, allowing the strike to flow across the skin and exit without burning through the non-conductive composite material.

Context Anchor

Seen in discussions of lightning strike protection for aircraft parts made from or other nonmetal materials.