Due to the great advantages of high spectral resolution and integrated maps, hyperspectral imaging technology has developed significantly in the past 40 years. The current airborne and spaceborne hyperspectral payload-carrying platforms can cover a wide range of the earth′s surface, which are one of the most significant science and technological breakthroughs since the development of remote sensing technology. They have been successfully applied in military fields such as camouflage recognition, weapon production investigation, weapon use detection, offshore monitoring and anti-submarine, and have achieved significant military effects. The development history of hyperspectral imagers at home and abroad is reviewed, and the main characteristics of hyperspectral imagers onboard airborne and spaceborne platforms are summarized and analyzed.