Sonic IR imaging enjoys the advantages of precise defect positioning, high thermal SNR (signal to noise ratio), material suitability, etc. It has shown good capabilities of detecting defects in aeronautical materials and key components, such as engine blades, landing gears, wings, honeycomb sandwiched structures, etc. Firstly, the working principle and system configuration of sonic IR imaging are introduced. Then, the development of sonic IR imaging is reviewed from seven main aspects, i.e., vibration characteristic, heating characteristic, simulation modelling, testing condition, thermal image processing & defect identification, defect detectability, and application. The features of sonic IR imaging are also highlighted. Additionally, a detailed description of defect detection for aeronautical metals and composites is summarized. Finally, the future trends of sonic IR imaging are discussed, which provide certain references for its research and application in testing aeronautical materials.