This paper reviews recent technological advances in distributed-propulsion aircraft across three key areas: aerodynamic optimization, energy management, and flight control. First, in aerodynamic optimization, it focuses on the coupling-enhancement mechanisms by which multi-point thrust distribution and propeller slipstream phenomena improve wing lift-to-drag characteristics. Second, in energy management, it examines hybrid-electric propulsion architectures and their energy-management strategies. Both series and parallel hybrid configurations have become the mainstream solution for distributed fleets thanks to their overall energy density. This energy density is more than three times that of all-electric systems. Moreover, as fuel is consumed, their energy density increases dynamically. Meanwhile, multi-objective optimization, mission-profile-driven energy-scheduling strategies, and aircraft-weight–energy coupling models have all provided strong support for extending endurance and enhancing reliability. Third, in flight control, it surveys control-allocation techniques for multiple propulsion units and fault-reconfiguration methods. For control allocation, it reviews nonlinear dynamic inversion, model predictive control, and optimized allocation algorithms that map attitude and moment demands to individual thrusters. For fault tolerance, it covers schemes using differential thrust, adaptive switching controllers, and model-error compensation. Building on this systematic review, the paper identifies three future research directions to further improve the performance and reliability of distributed-propulsion aircraft: co-optimized layout design, intelligent energy management, and closed-loop fault-tolerant control.