Airspace surveillance system includes all the equipment for surveillance of flight movements of aircraft in the airspace. Airspace surveillance technology works as an important means to guarantee flight safety and increase operation efficiency. In this article, firstly, with the development of airborne avionics, we particularly analyze the progress of airspace surveillance technology, and point out that the development of airspace surveillance technology depends on the support of airborne avionics. Secondly, aimed at the new challenges of airspace surveillance technology, we analyze some new problems, and summarize new methods and application achievement focusing on the collaborative airspace surveillance technology in recent years. We mainly elaborate the influence of navigation integrity on the airspace surveillance performance and methods to increase surveillance credibility. Finally, we discuss some typical applications of airspace surveillance technology and indicate its future trend, combining with the newest operation concepts in the next generation air traffic management system.