Carbon fibre is somewhat conductive so it should be good at dissipating static throughout the airframe, all the way to the static wicks.
But it is not anywhere as conductive as most metals so it can’t be any good for conducting lightning. How is this handled, especially as most carbon fibre airframes seem to be UL or homebuilts which don’t need lightning protection for certification?
In the case it is not needed for certification, it means the A/C will be allowed to fly VFR only, and then nothing is done (based on the fact that 96% of lighting strikes happen inside clouds). Even if it’s needed, usually the designer can choose not to comply and the airplane will have a limitation in the AFM to VFR only.
Otherwise, several protection methods can be used, being the most common to integrate an aluminum mesh in the CFRP epoxy matrix to add conductivity.
Yes aluminum or copper mesh will be bonded on the outermost layer of the stack. Typically with carbon fiber, you will see copper mesh. Aluminum and carbon fiber do not like each other for obvious corrosion issues.
