What empowers a David to take on a Goliath? Is it sheer will? Courage? Leveraging the right tool for the takedown? These are the questions presented by Nighthawk Flight Systems’ upcoming Guardian Cockpit Avionics System. Unveiled at AirVenture this year, Guardian looks to challenge Garmin head-on in the avionics space that Garmin has long dominated.
Nighthawk Flight Systems may sound like a bold new upstart, but you might already know of their prior work as Sandel Avionics–makers of impressive, compact display systems across a range of air transport and military aircraft, with a small GA presence.
Given their storied DNA as a successful avionics producer, when Nighthawk Flight Systems unveiled their prototype Guardian—a “next generation cockpit avionics system” in direct competition with Garmin’s avionics dominion—it seems the stage is set for a possible David vs. Goliath showdown.
Nighthawk Flight Systems: New Brand, Deep Avionics Lineage
Rich Pickett and I were recently invited to tour Nighthawk Flight Systems’ production facility in Vista, CA—an unassuming corporate location near McClellan-Palomar airport, where they design, test, build, and repair their display systems. Carrying some impressive credentials—ISO 9001 and AS9100 certified, as well as FAA Part 21 production and Part 145 repair certificates—Nighthawk isn’t a doe-eyed upstart; it’s a proven player in avionics.
On the factory floor, we chatted with Erik Mortensen, Director of Operations, a 31-year veteran of the company who has overseen many projects. We discussed how production products pass through the factory, where all circuit boards are printed in-house, assembled with chassis produced by a third party, and assembled at the Vista location.
Spare parts are stored in a series of inventory racks to support new builds as well as fulfill warranty and service claims in a timely manner—something Paul Martin, President & CEO of Nighthawk and a former Lockheed Martin Skunk Works executive, was keen on continuing with the Guardian avionics rollout.
Following our tour, we had a chance to sit down with Paul and two of Nighthawk’s executives—David Lanning, CTO, and John Morton, Chief Engineer—to discuss why Guardian is worth a pilot or OEM’s consideration for an avionics upgrade or inclusion in a new factory-built aircraft.
Treading on Goliath’s Turf
Before we dive deeper, let me say: I love technology. As a child of a Chief Nerd, my entire life was filled with the newest technology and gadgets my dad (Rich, if you didn’t connect the last name) brought home. It was no different for our airplanes. We owned the first Bose headsets (the ones with silicone ear pads), and he was also one of the first pilots to fly with Garmin’s earliest portable GPS units.
As fans of Garmin’s products and pathway, we’ve yet to come across compelling alternatives to their dependable and ubiquitous systems. They’ve built their empire and reputation by consistently pushing the envelope and delivering dependable and user-friendly products.
So, when I heard that a new touchscreen PFD avionics system was out that didn’t look or feel like a flimsy knockoff, I was intrigued and thought, “Is Nighthawk a worthy foil to Garmin’s Goliath? Does it stand a chance to take market share in an area that Garmin dominates?”
Guardian looks to challenge Garmin’s dominance in the cockpit avionics space—not by replicating integrated flight decks like the G3000, but by offering a modular, high-fidelity alternative to traditional panel-mount systems. While it isn’t aiming to replace every flight deck—yet—it’s carving out a compelling niche for retrofit and light OEM applications that may be underserved or overpriced by today’s avionics giants.
Guardian: First Look and Component Overview
Just a stone’s throw from EAA’s Theatre in the Woods, we first met Paul and John at their AirVenture booth in Oshkosh. On display were two simulator mockups featuring their newest offering: Guardian.
Upon first glance, Guardian doesn’t look remarkably different from other PFDs like a G1000 or Dynon. It’s a black frame, a color screen, and some knobs. On closer inspection, you realize there are no buttons, just three knobs, and that’s because this is more like a Garmin TXi touchscreen flight display.
The next thing you notice is the visuals. Looking at the demo units, I thought I was flying in a simulator— a fully 3D synthetic environment rendered in real time, complete with mapped buildings, terrain, and obstructions. The synthetic renderings were impressive, and I could see how situational awareness would be improved by them (especially for low altitude pilots and helo operations), but it was also initially a tad overwhelming for me at first since I’m used to seeing less detail and more approximated terrain features like we have in the G1000 NXi display in our Cessna Turbo 206H. Of course, the 10-year-old pilot flying next to me took to it like a pilot getting their medical back.
“We can tell you where the ground is, its relation to you, and you can see the box canyon you’re in and what you will and won’t hit.” — Paul Martin, CEO
That kind of clarity is mission-critical—especially in low-level and off-airport operations where terrain, wires, and obstacles can mean the difference between a safe return and a tragic outcome. Guardian’s synthetic vision combines high-resolution 3D terrain with TAWS and HeliTAWS overlays, delivering real-time awareness at 500 feet AGL and below—ideal not only for fixed-wing but also rotary-wing operations. Terrain, obstacle, and wire databases are blended into a unified display with intelligent alerting, while avoiding excessive nuisance warnings that plague traditional systems during off-airport or hover work.
After testing out the flight simulator, John Morton gave us a tour of what makes Guardian unique. Beyond the robust synthetic vision capabilities, Guardian is designed around simplicity. The high-definition 12” PFD/MFD touchscreen display (with 11.6” viewable area) allows for quick splitting of the PFD into various display modes to view charts and other data via the center toggle switch. Reducing weight and complexity, a single cable connects the display to the brains of the system—an elegant feature that should make installation a breeze. Paul also remarked that they reduced the display’s bezel to just 0.3 inches of the panel for a cleaner fit and easier integration.
Plans are set for a similar style 7” PFD/MFD (7” viewable area) in landscape or portrait models. Both of these PFD/MFD displays, depending on their use and setup, feature multi-touch controls, oleophobic glass coatings, and are visible in the brightest sun.
How Does Guardian Stack Up?
How Does Guardian Stack Up?
While not a direct one-to-one comparison, the table below highlights key display specs across Nighthawk’s Guardian system, Garmin’s TXi flight displays, and Garmin’s integrated G3000 and G5000 flight decks.
Guardian and TXi displays are standalone retrofit or OEM-capable touchscreen systems, whereas Garmin’s G3000 and G5000 are fully integrated flight decks (with limited retrofit potential and usually OEM-installed). The comparison is included to help readers understand display evolution in terms of resolution, brightness, aspect ratio, and sunlight-readability—not as a direct market overview.
For many, staying within the Garmin ecosystem is a key value add—while others may find Guardian’s modularity, display quality, and pricing compelling enough to consider a new path.
The brains behind Guardian rest in the NEST—a lightweight modular chassis that houses Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) that Nighthawk calls Blades.
Each Blade handles an important function of system operation and navigation (more on that below). Gone are the complex cables of other LRUs, thanks to a proprietary and simple connector called a Blade Link. This small connector links each blade in series, further refining the NEST. Installation is fast and simple with four screws connecting each Blade Link.
The Guardian NMC 1000 Mission Computer Blade is capable of driving two displays, so a four-display panel will require two Mission Computers and likely a separate NEST to maintain separation. Thankfully, initial tests have shown that the NEST can be located anywhere in an aircraft up to 25 feet from the Guardian display via that single connecting cable, so precious space behind the firewall can be used for other equipment.
First Phase Blades
Paul laid out Nighthawk’s planned phased rollout of their Guardian components. Available first for Part 23 Class I and II aircraft will be their Mission Computing Unit (NMC 1000) Blade, Smart I/O (NIO 1000) Blade, and their ADAHRS (NRS 1000) Blade.
- MCU Blade: handles graphics and user interface processing, supports two independent displays, synthetic vision, TAWS (fixed/rotary wing), TCAS, FIS-B WX, Radar Altimeter, and ADS-B in traffic display. It also covers audio annunciation, WiFi/Bluetooth, and integrates with external EFBs, transponders, engine instruments, and GPS/FMS. Standby battery control and interface are also handled by the MCU.
- SIO Blade: a flexible interface unit to handle input-output for various existing aircraft systems, including single/dual GPS/FMS, DME, ADF, TACAN, ADS-B In transponder, TAD/TAS/TCAS I/II, Stormscope, ARINC-708(A) Weather Radar, analog/digital Autopilots with Flight Directors, single/dual Engine Interfaces (through Electronics International EDC-33P-S), Remote Audio Control (e.g. PS Engineering) and standby ADAHRS (adding dissimilar cross-check capability with Mid-Continent’s MD302 SAM).
- RS Blade: contains standard connections to provide inputs for the Air Data Computer and a tactical-grade Attitude/Heading Reference System.
Future rollouts—planned for mid-2026—for full Part 23 and 27 will offer a more capable NRS Blade called the Aircraft Navigation Unit (NNU 1000) Blade that will have an integrated GPS/FMS, plus an NCN 1000 COM/NAV Blade and a remote ADS-B In transponder with optional diversity.
Cessna 340 Test Bed & First Launch Customer
At AirVenture, the Nighthawk team shared that their first flight testbed is planned for a Cessna 340A. Installation, as of this writing, is underway at a McClellan-Palomar avionics shop. The first phase installation is testing the 12” display, mounting the NEST behind the panel, and coupling it with an S-TEC Autopilot. The goal is to get certified for Part 23 Class I and II aircraft.
As of this writing, Guardian is still in the certification and flight test phase and is not yet available for installation in certified aircraft. That said, the company is actively pursuing FAA approval for Part 23 Class I and II aircraft via an AML-STC pathway.
As testing and certification progress, the team will move into Phase 2, where two 12” displays and two 7” displays will be installed. Genesys digital autopilot and an Electronics International engine instruments interface will also be installed and tested. Remote mounting—up to 25 feet away or more—of a second NEST will also be tested.
In Q2 2026, Nighthawk will test the NNU 1000 Blade, NCN 1000 Blades, a remote transponder, and plans to secure full Part 23 and 27 certifications.
To round off their EAA announcements, Nighthawk shared that they have already secured their first OEM partner aircraft: the Comp Air Aviation 6.2 6-passenger kit and factory-assist-built aircraft. Nighthawk aims for 200 deliveries over the next five years. Guardian versions for both pistons and turboprops will be available in this family of aircraft.
Will David Take Goliath’s Market Share?
Time will tell, obviously, if Nighthawk’s Guardian system can meet timelines and promises. So far, and from what we’ve gotten to test and play with, if Nighthawk can deliver, then Garmin will have a viable competitor for the partially and fully-integrated avionics and interface market.
Current estimated retail pricing for two 12” displays with a NEST and three initial Blades is $45,000 (if you only want one display, take $5k off). For a four-display installation—think 2 PFDs, 2 MFDs, 2 ADAHRS, and 2 I/Os—the estimated total is $110,000 due to the need for an additional NEST. Both options are roughly 30% less than other legacy options currently available.
One of the most David-like efforts by Nighthawk was Paul’s promise to provide software updates for free, and no enablement fees for things like TAWS Class A or B, HTAWS, ADS-B/TCAS Traffic, Weather Radar, Radio Altitude, SynthViz, ForeFlight, or Seattle Charts (Jepp charts are in the works). Features like WiFi, Bluetooth, and dual USB-C data and charging ports are also built in, something Garmin layers on the final total price.
Once an aircraft is stripped of its existing equipment and any gremlins are neutralized, John estimates that an installation would take 5 to 7 days for the Guardian system. This will vary based on the state of the aircraft, and the majority of the time is in repinning—so long as there isn’t much fixing or replacing of old wiring, new owners should be up and flying in under two weeks.
Dealers are also in talks with Nighthawk to carry their products, with up to 40 of them showing interest as of this writing. All the above can be taken with a grain of salt, as much of what I’ve seen in my limited time in the aviation industry has come with promises that sometimes fall short. If the Nighthawk executive team delivers on their vision, owner-operators and OEMs alike may finally have a capable, modular, and affordable alternative to the default Garmin systems.
