A system for inspecting a composite material structure for defects, the system comprising: an inspection apparatus including a heating device for heating a section of a surface of the structure, an infrared camera for receiving infrared radiation from the surface in response to heating, a controller configured to generate thermal images from the received infrared radiation, and a communication device; a training system including an arrangement for obtaining thermal images from a known composite material sample in a controlled setting, the arrangement including a plurality of heating elements positioned to apply heat to an entire surface of the sample, an infrared camera for capturing thermal images of the sample when heated, characterised in that: the training system further comprises a processing system configured to correlate the thermal images with material parameters of the known sample and thermal parameters of the known experimental training procedures, and record and classify the captured thermal images in a training database; the system further comprises j a computer system communicatively coupled to the training system and the inspection apparatus, the computer system adapted to receive thermal images from the inspection apparatus and to detect quantitative parameters of defects in the structure using the training database the system further configured to estimate an average distance between the infrared camera and the section of the structure; and to match and format the thermal images to construct an image of the structure that represents actual dimensions and locations, and to compare the captured images with images in the training database to estimate a distance between the infrared camera and each surface point on the section of the structure; and to determine whether the surface point distance is different from said estimated average distance that would be expected from the data of the training database; and the infrared camera is movable around a circumference of the structure, and is operative to acquire thermal images from the entire circumference of the structure. an inspection apparatus including a heating device for heating a section of a surface of the structure, an infrared camera for receiving infrared radiation from the surface in response to heating, a controller configured to generate thermal images from the received infrared radiation, and a communication device; a training system including an arrangement for obtaining thermal images from a known composite material sample in a controlled setting, the arrangement including a plurality of heating elements positioned to apply heat to an entire surface of the sample, an infrared camera for capturing thermal images of the sample when heated, characterised in that: the training system further comprises a processing system configured to correlate the thermal images with material parameters of the known sample and thermal parameters of the known experimental training procedures, and record and classify the captured thermal images in a training database; the system further comprises j a computer system communicatively coupled to the training system and the inspection apparatus, the computer system adapted to receive thermal images from the inspection apparatus and to detect quantitative parameters of defects in the structure using the training database the system further configured to estimate an average distance between the infrared camera and the section of the structure; and to match and format the thermal images to construct an image of the structure that represents actual dimensions and locations, and to compare the captured images with images in the training database to estimate a distance between the infrared camera and each surface point on the section of the structure; and to determine whether the surface point distance is different from said estimated average distance that would be expected from the data of the training database; and the infrared camera is movable around a circumference of the structure, and is operative to acquire thermal images from the entire circumference of the structure. the training system further comprises a processing system configured to correlate the thermal images with material parameters of the known sample and thermal parameters of the known experimental training procedures, and record and classify the captured thermal images in a training database; the system further comprises j a computer system communicatively coupled to the training system and the inspection apparatus, the computer system adapted to receive thermal images from the inspection apparatus and to detect quantitative parameters of defects in the structure using the training database the system further configured to estimate an average distance between the infrared camera and the section of the structure; and to match and format the thermal images to construct an image of the structure that represents actual dimensions and locations, and to compare the captured images with images in the training database to estimate a distance between the infrared camera and each surface point on the section of the structure; and to determine whether the surface point distance is different from said estimated average distance that would be expected from the data of the training database; and the infrared camera is movable around a circumference of the structure, and is operative to acquire thermal images from the entire circumference of the structure.