Daher on January 15, 2026, formally introduced the TBM 980 during a ceremony at its production site in Tarbes, France, marking the latest step in the evolution of the TBM 900 series with a strong focus on cockpit technology and pilot workflow.
The TBM 980 becomes the first production TBM to feature Garmin G3000 Prime, Garmin’s newest integrated flight deck designed for Part 23 turbine aircraft. Daher said the aircraft was developed around real-world operational flow, with the goal of making the TBM easier to fly while reducing pilot workload and improving situational awareness.
Central to that effort is a fully touchscreen-based cockpit. G3000 Prime uses large, edge-to-edge glass displays with fingerprint-resistant surfaces and increased screen area compared with previous Garmin touch controllers. Garmin said the system doubles processing power and significantly expands memory, enabling faster response times and smoother animations.
The avionics suite supports multi-touch interaction, allowing pilots to use the same display simultaneously and to stabilize their hands on the screen during turbulence without triggering unintended inputs. Menus and controls are organized around how pilots actually manage a flight, with quick-access bars, radial menus, and customizable window presets intended to reduce heads-down time.
Daher also highlighted a new smartphone application that connects the pilot directly to the aircraft. Through Garmin’s connected flight deck capabilities, pilots can transfer flight plans, check aircraft status, review fuel levels, and manage databases remotely using a compatible phone or tablet. The system supports automatic flight and engine data logging, as well as cloud-based updates when the aircraft is on the ground.
G3000 Prime integrates a range of automation and safety tools, including linked electronic checklists that sense system status, advanced flight visualization features, and support for Garmin’s Autonomí technologies. Depending on aircraft configuration, these include emergency descent mode, electronic stability and protection, Smart Glide engine-out navigation, and Garmin Autoland. Terminal-area safety features such as runway and surface awareness are also supported.
The introduction of the TBM 980 continues a steady cadence of updates to the TBM 900 family, which Daher first launched in 2014. Since then, the manufacturer has introduced successive variants that have added performance, systems, and avionics enhancements while retaining the basic airframe architecture.
Daher said the TBM 980 reflects its broader strategy of pairing high performance with increasingly intuitive systems, particularly as avionics grow more capable and complex. By centering the cockpit around touchscreen interaction and connected tools, the company aims to streamline normal operations while providing clear access to advanced features when needed.
The TBM 980 enters the market as Garmin prepares to roll out G3000 Prime across a range of turbine and advanced aircraft platforms. Daher did not disclose delivery timelines during the ceremony, but confirmed that the new avionics suite is certified and ready for operational use.
The Tarbes event underscored the TBM program’s ongoing role as a technology pathfinder within the single-engine turboprop segment, with the TBM 980 representing the most digitally integrated version of the aircraft to date.