The main purpose of the experiments described here is the analysis of the mechanisms of radome protection with lightning diverters of various types and sizes. A high voltage arrangement and associated diagnostics have been implemented to perform a quantitative study of the inception and propagation mechanisms of the corona and leader discharges that precede the final breakdown. It is shown that ambient humidity plays a significant role on the discharge process and that the nature of the discharge initiated from the strip is very different depending on the strip type. Segmented strips are more likely to allow energetic discharges to propagate from an internal antenna leading to radome puncture.