This research focuses on the effect of ultrasonically-assisted drilling (UAD) on carbon fibrereinforced plastics. High-frequency vibration was used to excite a drill bit during its standard operation. An extensive experimental study of drilling forces, temperature, chip formation, surface finish, circularity, delamination and tool wear, was conducted using Ø3 mm drill and presented here. UAD showed a significant improvement in drill quality when compared to conventional drilling processes. A finite-element study was also conducted to understand the nature of drilling-force reduction in UAD.