Thailand’s Queen Suthida Completes Historic Solo Flight in Gripen Fighter Jet

Queen Suthida of Thailand made history on October 8, 2026, becoming the country’s first female Gripen pilot after completing her first solo flight in a single-seat JAS 39C fighter jet.

The 48-year-old queen took off from the Royal Thai Air Force’s Wing 7 base in southern Surat Thani province, with King Maha Vajiralongkorn observing from the ground. The flight lasted approximately 41 minutes .‌‌‌

Footage released by the Royal Household showed the queen conducting pre-flight checks before taxiing to Runway 22 and taking off in the Swedish-made fighter . Upon landing, King Vajiralongkorn presented her with a bouquet and pinned the “Golden Gripen Order” patch on her left arm, an honor reserved for pilots who complete the aircraft’s rigorous qualification process .‌‌‌

According to the Royal Household, the Swedish Gripen Order has officially recognized Queen Suthida as a full member, and she is now confirmed as Thailand’s first female Gripen pilot. Media reports suggest she may also be the world’s first reigning queen to pilot a fighter jet solo.

The solo flight marked the culmination of a demanding conversion course conducted under Royal Thai Air Force standards. Training began between June and July 2026 with 45 academic subjects and emergency procedure modules, followed by 20 simulator sessions .‌‌

The queen then accumulated over 10 hours of flight time in a two-seat JAS 39D Gripen with an instructor before transitioning to the single-seat JAS 39C for her solo sortie . She completed her training in two phases at Wing 7: August 20 to September 4, and September 25 to October 8 .‌‌

Queen Suthida is no novice to aviation. She began flight training on May 13, 2010, flying a Cessna T-41D with the RTAF’s 604th Squadron . Over the past 16 years, she has logged more than 1,188 flight hours across multiple aircraft types, including the CT-4E, Pilatus PC-9, Mooney M20M, and Piper PA-34 Seneca .‌‌‌

She also holds qualifications on Boeing 737-400 and 737-800 aircraft, with over 450 hours on the 737-800 alone. The queen regularly serves as co-pilot to the king on royal flights, including a notable landing at Bhutan’s Paro Airport—widely considered one of the world’s most challenging approaches .‌‌‌

The historic flight comes as Thailand prepares to expand its Gripen fleet with the acquisition of four next-generation E/F variants. The RTAF currently operates 11 Gripen C/D aircraft after losing one in a January 2017 crash .‌‌

In August 2025, Thailand signed a contract with Saab for three single-seat Gripen E and one two-seat Gripen F aircraft, valued at approximately $556 million, with deliveries expected by 2030 . An RTAF delegation led by Air Chief Marshal Seksan inspected the assembly of Thailand’s first Gripen E at Saab’s Linköping facility in May 2026.

Saab publicly congratulated Queen Suthida on the achievement, stating it was “both proud and honored” by her flight.