The atmospheric turbulence effect is one of the important factors that seriously affect the image quality of aerial photoelectric reconnaissance system. Starting from the description of atmospheric turbulence parameters, the influence mechanism of atmospheric turbulence on the imaging quality of optical system was researched, the influencing factors of atmospheric turbulence on the modulation transfer function (MTF) of optical system were analyzed, and the theoretical model of atmospheric turbulence on the imaging MTF of optical system was established. The simulation results show that under the influence of atmospheric turbulence, the ratio of optical system pupil aperture to atmospheric coherence diameter has a great influence on the imaging MTF. By comparing the ground field experimental images of the optical system, the imaging MTF theoretical model of the actual optical system affected by atmospheric turbulence was verified. The research results can provide theoretical supports for the design of aerial photoelectric reconnaissance system and the improvement of imaging quality under the influence of atmospheric turbulence.