Patent ID: 7963477

Claim:
An aircraft comprising: a structure ( 12 ) with structural elements ( 16 , 18 ) that are assembled to form a three-dimensional framework; an aerodynamic envelope ( 14 ) attached to said structural elements, wherein at least some of said structural elements ( 16 , 18 ) are at least partly metallic and electrically connected to each other so that said at least some structural elements provide electric return and metallization for electrical systems of the aircraft and a Faraday cage under said aerodynamic envelope, and wherein said aerodynamic envelope is made of composite material without a metallic layer; and an interface at a connection of said at least some structural elements with the aerodynamic envelope, said interface being made of material that has a conductivity that is below a threshold on the order of 10,000 S/m and is not zero so as to diffuse lightning current of said aerodynamic envelope in said at least some structural elements and avoid an electric arc between said aerodynamic envelope and said at least some structural elements.