Lightning locating system

A lightning location detection system, comprising:

• at least three RF energy sensors disposed in a spaced-apart relationship, each of said at least three sensors including:
• a pulse detection circuit including a filter which blocks low-frequency components of received RF energy and passes high frequency components of received RF energy for detecting the time of arrival of the leading edge of at least one of only a predetermined number of microsecond or shorter initial pulses having predetermined characteristics corresponding to initial lightning breakdown processes of an initial leader stroke of a lightning flash;
• a time circuit in communication with said pulse detection circuit for associating a time of arrival with passed high-frequency components of received RF energy;
• and
• a digital circuit in communication with said time circuit for controlling said time circuit, and in communication with said pulse detection circuit for collecting data corresponding to passed high-frequency components of received RF energy;
• and
• a master station in communication with each of said at least three RF energy sensors, said master station collecting and processing the time of arrival associated with each detected time of the at least one of only a predetermined number of initial pulses for each of said at least three RF energy sensors to determine a location of the initial lightning breakdown processes.