A lightning strike protection material may include a fiber reinforced composite aircraft component including carbon fibers in a resin matrix. The carbon fibers may have a length greater than at least about 6 mm and include carbon nanotubes grown on the fibers, and the nanotubes may be substantially uniformly distributed on the fibers and have a length between about 1 and 100 microns. The nanotubes may decrease a surface resistance of the resin matrix.