The present invention relates to means for protecting various purpose facilities against damages when they are exposed to an intensive action of atmospheric
electricity, in particular to means for protecting buildings and structures against
lightning. The active
lightning conductor comprises a housing with a cover, an active
lightning-receiving unit connected in series to a high-
voltage impulse generator excited by an external lightning-induced
magnetic field, and to a
contact element of a grounding
system. The generator comprises at least two charging
resistor circuits as well as a multiunit arrester made as at least one
capacitive discharge circuit composed of in-line alternating capacitors each of them having two charging plates with arresters. The charging circuit resistors are divided into two groups the resistors of one of them being connected to the upper
capacitor plates and the resistors of the second group being connected to the lower
capacitor plates. The electromagnetic parameters of the lightning conductor provide for a possibility to charge the capacitors from an external
electric field at a critical active lightning
voltage of the last until a level sufficient to form and to execute a preventive
discharge providing for the formation of a leader sent via the lightning-receiving unit to meet the striking leader from an external lightning, but in this case said
capacitor electric capacitance and said
ohmic resistance of the interlayers between the capacitor plates and the arrester protrusions are adopted with values providing for the possibility of a reach-through breakdown of the arresters in this circuit and the possibility of a short-circuit of the lightning-receiving unit with the
contact element of the grounding
system at a lightning
discharge. The lightning-receiving unit is made as a multirod rim with a central rod and side rods. The lightning conductor is provided with an external
discharge circuit composed of couples of current-carrying arresters. Each arrester of one couple is electrically coupled to one arrester of another couple. One arrester of the upper couple is electrically linked to the lightning-receiving unit, and one arrester of the lower couple is linked to the
contact element of the grounding
system. The arresters of adjacent couples are located on the housing with a partial shift in the plan view relative to the previous and / or following couple of arresters.The technical result resides in the improvement of structural, technological and operating performance of the lightning conductor, in the improvement of the device operation reliability and in the provision of improved protection of facilities against damages due to lightning discharge hits.