Thailand’s Queen Suthida flies Saab Gripen solo with just 4 weeks training

For 41 minutes, Thailand’s Queen Suthida was alone in the cockpit of a supersonic fighter jet. Waiting for her on the ground was her husband, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who had watched her take off and would soon welcome her back with a bouquet of flowers and a gold-embroidered aviation insignia.

It was an extraordinary moment for the Queen, whose passion for aviation has taken her from small training aircraft to the flight decks of royal Boeing 737s. On Thursday (8 October), she added something entirely different to her flying record: a solo flight in the Royal Thai Air Force’s single-seat Saab JAS 39C Gripen.

The achievement followed roughly four weeks of intensive training visits to an airbase in southern Thailand, supported by earlier classroom instruction, simulator exercises and supervised flying. The Queen, who had accumulated more than 1,100 flying hours before the occasion, became Thailand’s first female Gripen pilot.

As reported by The Royal News Organisation, the King made a private visit to Wing 7 in Surat Thani province to witness the flight. He watched the preparations, take-off and landing before personally presenting the Queen with flowers and the Gripen Order Golden Patch, an honour for those who have flown the aircraft. The gold-embroidered emblem is associated with the Gripen Order, a Swedish honorary aviation organisation

The photographs released by Thailand’s Royal Household captured two sides of the occasion: the Queen smiling from the cockpit of a military fighter and, later, standing beside the King with her bouquet, the aircraft behind them.

From the flight briefing to a solo take-off

The King arrived at Wing 7 in Phun Phin district at 10:06 on Thursday, where the Queen welcomed him alongside senior Royal Thai Air Force officers.

Among those present were Air Chief Marshal Seksan Kantha, commander-in-chief of the air force, and Group Captain Pasin Sombattawee, commander of Wing 7.

The royal couple first went to the operations building for a briefing on the Queen’s flight plan. They then proceeded to the aircraft shelter, where the King watched her carry out the pre-flight inspection of the JAS 39C.

It was a significant step. Unlike the two-seat Gripen D in which she had trained, the Gripen C has only one cockpit. Once airborne, there would be no instructor beside her to take over the controls.

After completing her checks, the Queen boarded the fighter and taxied towards Runway 22. The King remained at the airbase as the aircraft lined up for departure. The Queen then took off alone, following the training flight plan prepared for her final exercise.

🇹🇭🦈The “Andaman Shark” in the Sky A Royal Thai Air Force Gripen C flown by Queen Suthida of Thailand, with footage of her performing flight maneuvers, from takeoff to landing. https://t.co/zHgUsIvOQd

— Нем🥖 (@wuthi11_) October 9, 2026

The Gripen is a Swedish-designed multirole combat aircraft used for air defence, interception and ground-attack missions. For someone accustomed to conventional training aircraft and passenger jets, flying a single-seat fighter presents a different set of demands, from managing the aircraft’s performance to operating its cockpit systems without another pilot alongside.

The Queen completed the planned sortie and returned to Wing 7 after 41 minutes.

The flight was the culmination of months of preparation. For the King, himself an experienced aviator, it was an opportunity to witness an important moment in his wife’s flying career.

But how did the Queen learn to fly a Gripen solo in just four weeks?

Perhaps the most notable aviation detail is how quickly the Queen progressed through the practical phase of her fighter conversion training.

Her intensive training visits to Wing 7 covered roughly four weeks in total. But those weeks were the final stages of a programme that had begun months earlier.

According to the Royal Thai Air Force account carried by Thai PBS, she studied 45 academic and emergency-procedure subjects during June and July, before completing 20 simulator sorties. She then moved to the two-seat JAS 39D Gripen, where an instructor could accompany her during flight training.

The Queen spent two extended periods at Wing 7, from 20 August to 4 September and from 25 September to 8 October. By the time she was ready to fly alone, she had accumulated 10.13 hours in the two-seat Gripen.

The relatively short transition was possible in the context of her extensive previous flying experience. She was already familiar with military training aircraft, complex cockpit procedures and the demands of operating large passenger jets.

The Royal Thai Air Force’s training account emphasised the skills needed to operate a fighter, including situational awareness, prioritising tasks and processing large amounts of information in limited time.

Her solo flight demonstrated that an experienced pilot could progress to flying a Gripen independently through a structured conversion programme. It should not, however, be mistaken for evidence that a beginner could learn to fly a fighter in four weeks, or that a solo training sortie amounts to full combat qualification.

A flying passion that began 16 years ago

The Queen’s aviation journey began on 13 May 2010, when she flew a Cessna T-41D with Squadron 604 at Wing 6 in Bangkok.

She went on to train in a variety of aircraft, building experience in both military and civilian aviation. Her flying record includes 315.33 hours in the Cessna T-41, 38.35 hours in the CT-4E Airtrainer and 105.59 hours in the Pilatus PC-9 turboprop trainer. She also logged 98.40 hours in the Mooney M20M and 137.50 hours in the twin-engined Piper PA-34 Seneca.

Her experience later extended to royal Boeing 737 aircraft, including 27.09 hours in the Boeing 737-400 and 453.11 hours in the Boeing 737-800.

The Royal Household reported her cumulative flying experience at 1,188.48 hours across the aircraft types listed, including her training in the two-seat Gripen.

🇹🇭 Thailand’s Queen Suthida flies fighter jet solo Thailand’s Royal office’s handout video shows Thailand’s Queen Suthida flying a Saab JAS 39C Gripen solo on October 8. https://t.co/yk8nZG0LRR

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 9, 2026

Flying is also an interest the Queen shares with her husband.

She has served as co-pilot alongside King Vajiralongkorn during royal flights within Thailand and overseas. One notable occasion was the couple’s state visit to Bhutan, when they operated the royal aircraft into and out of Paro International Airport.

Surrounded by mountains, Paro is known for its demanding approach and departure procedures. The royal couple’s involvement in the flight attracted attention to their shared aviation experience.

The Queen’s latest achievement adds a very different aircraft to that history.

She has flown light aircraft, military trainers and passenger jets carrying out royal duties. Now she has flown a single-seat combat aircraft, with the King watching from the ground.

Following the presentation at Wing 7, the royal couple returned to Bangkok aboard a royal aircraft.

The Queen’s first Gripen solo lasted only 41 minutes, but it marked the culmination of a flying ambition supported by years of experience and months of specialist preparation.