The design of lightweight protective structures with CFRP laminates needs to consider their impact resistance performance under extreme environmental conditions, particularly in high temperature environments. A combination of experimental testing and numerical simulations was used to study the anti-ballistic performance and damage mechanisms of CFRP laminates at high temperature. The ballistic limits of 2 mm thick CFRP laminates at temperatures of 25 ℃ (room temperature), 75 ℃, and 125 ℃ were 191 m/s, 176 m/s, and 189 m/s, respectively. This indicated that the ballistic limit of CFRP laminates decreased initially and then increased with rising temperature. As the impact energy increased, the energy absorption of the laminates increased linearly. At lower impact energies, the energy absorption of CFRP laminates increased with rising temperature. However, as impact energy increased, the effect of temperature on energy absorption gradually diminished. Under high-speed impacts by spherical projectiles, the front surface of the laminate showed indentation, while the rear surface exhibited bulging. The main damage modes included fiber breakage, matrix crushing, and fiber delamination. Compared to room temperature, the bulging on the rear surface of the laminate was significantly reduced at high temperature, but delamination damage near the penetration channel intensified, and fewer fiber fragments were produced. Through the comparison on the delamination failure characteristics, it was found that damage was most severe at an environmental temperature of 75 ℃. The results of this study can provide a basis and reference for the design and application of CFRP laminates in lightweight armor protective structures for aerospace, military, and civilian applications.