The drive shaft is one of the key components of the transmission system such as helicopter and automobile. With the progress of science and technology, the use of composite transmission shaft instead of metal transmission shaft is an inevitable trend in the development of lightweight helicopters. In order to better understand and study the characteristics of the composite transmission shaft, give full play to its advantages of lightweight corrosion resistance, this paper focuses on the structural characteristics of the helicopter composite transmission shaft, the application, the problems in the maintenance process and the future development direction and trend. The difference of typical failure modes of the composite drive shaft caused by different structural states and different materials is given, and the corresponding failure mechanism is revealed. It provides a powerful support for the application and technical improvement of the composite drive shaft.