Ice accumulation on aircraft surfaces is a prevalent issue, and icephobic coating strategies can be implemented to assist in the removal of or ice on an aircraft. However little is known regarding the effects of novel icephobic coatings and surfaces on ice adhesion strength, which is difficult to measure and quantify, and is typically reported in literature with a high standard deviation and scatter. In this thesis, a reliable set-up for testing ice adhesion strength is successfully designed, constructed, and validated. Using this set-up, it is possible to examine the relationships between various surface parameters and ice adhesion strength, and to analyse the scatter in order correlate the results both qualitatively and quantitatively. Additionally, the influence of material and topology on the adhesion strength and failure mechanisms of ice is investigated.