Carbon fiber composites (CFCs) have been increasingly used in the design and manufacturing of modem aircrafts components that are subjected to operating conditions that may contain large amount of sand particles, heavy rain and sharp objects, direct effects of lightning and icing.Work in ACCIS and NSQI has focused on the development of multifunctional nanocomposite coatings employing carbon nanotubes (CNT), alumina and diamond nanoparticles with improved wear resistance,electrical and thermal conductivity with target applications such as lightning strike and erosion protection of CFC composite components.