Lightning grounding testing for composite aircraft?
A lightning strike on a North Sea helicopter a number of years ago brought down the aircraft. Luckily the crew and oil workers were rescued. These North Sea helicopters had been hit regularly by lightning over a number of years with no major damage or problems. But it was not until after the manufacturer added composite tail rotor blades that a theory developed that composite materials could be exploded by rare and extremely powerful lightning bolts. The A330 as I understand is made of 12-15% composite material. Nowhere near what the A350 or 787 Dreamliner will be, but what I read on the net suggests lightning protection is difficult to incorporate into a composite aircraft compared to conventional aluminium ones. Composite airframes also give less electromagnetic shielding compared to aluminium, making it more difficult to protect avionic systems.