Abstract: Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge(SDBD)plasma flow control can significantly improve the aerodynamics of aircraft.This technology has become an international hot issue.Status of research on SDBD plasma actuation characteristics,the mechanism of plasma flow control,aerodynamics actuation mathematical model,and influencing factors on the plasma flow control are introduced briefly.Progress of experimental,numerical and mechanism study on SDBD plasma flow control is presented.Brief analysis on the progress of research on the plasma flow control and the problems to be solved in the future are conducted.It is indicated finally that,the pulsed-periodic nanosecond discharge plasma flow control,as called the shock flow control,shows a higher efficiency for controlling the higher-speed flow separation.It becomes an important promising research direction.The research on rarefied gas flow control by plasma should be conducted in the future.