Virtual-real integrated flight testing technology is a novel flight test paradigm that achieves real-time synchronization and interaction between ground-based simulation models (virtual) and physical test aircraft (real) during flight testing. It aims to enhance the safety and efficiency of civil aircraft flight tests through the principle of “using the virtual to predict the real, with mutual feedback between the virtual and the real.” The three core bottlenecks hindering technological development were thoroughly analyzed: non-synchronous, weakly synchronous, and synchronous. It illustrates the system architecture and implementation effectiveness with typical engineering applications, such as crosswind, negative acceleration, and simulated icing configuration flight testing of domestic large civil aircraft. The article delves into three core challenges constraining the technology's development: high-fidelity modeling for specific flight test missions, sustained synchronization of virtual-real states, and the evaluation of engineering applicability for safety monitoring interfaces. Corresponding technical solutions were proposed, including progressive iteration of baseline models and mission-oriented refined modeling. Looking ahead, virtual-real integrated flight testing holds broad engineering application prospects in areas such as flight state safety assessment, test operation guidance, test point validity evaluation, and safety envelope boundary warning. Its further advancement relies on achieving breakthroughs in key directions, including the co-improvement of model accuracy and real-time performance, intelligent calibration and autonomous decision-making, multi-domain collaborative parallel simulation, and standardization and platformization. These advancements are poised to drive a profound digital and intelligent transformation in civil aircraft flight test.