The paper is concerned with lattice composite cylindrical shells composed of a system of ribs which have found wide application as rocket and space structural elements. Two possible models to simulate the structure are considered – first, the continuum model within the framework of which the ribs are smeared over the surface and a lattice shell is simulated with a homogenous orthotropic shell, and second – the discrete model consisting of a system of beam finite elements. For a shell under axial compression, the stress states, the stiffnesses and the critical loads of the shells simulated with two models under study are compared.