Non-destructive inspection of carbon fiber-reinforced (CFR) composites applied to aerospace industry attracts wide attention. In this article, high frequency (50-100 MHz) focused ultrasound has been applied to study defects and destruction processes in the bulk microstructure of the CFR material and constructions under the mechanical loading. It has been shown that the impulse acoustic microscopy provides detecting areas of structural failures and adhesion losses at the millimeter and micron level. Behavior of the CFR laminate structure fabricated by prepreg or infusion technology has been investigated under the tensile and impact loading. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:703-708, 2017. (c) 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers