Living up to its name, the Guardian Flight Backpack offers enhanced support and protection for its wearer in a variety of situations compared to conventional hardware. The most imperative feature of the backpack is to provide life support during an ejection in either vacuum or atmosphere.

On its own, internalized oxygen tanks within the backpack can supply oxygen for twenty-four hours. When combined with the rest of the Guardian equipment, however, this number doubles to over forty-eight hours of vacuum protection. This is accomplished by a remarkable feat of engineering - stored within the backpack are miniature C02 scrubbers, filtering the used oxygen from within the sealed environment of the flight suit. Similarly, when equipped with the optional internal catheter system, the flight backpack is capable of filtering urine to supplement the onboard daily water ration. While a feature used for survival, many pilots consider the system ‘Not an option’ as it allows for long, extended flights in small fighter craft.