Thailand’s Queen Suthida has completed her first solo flight in a Gripen fighter jet after specialised training, becoming the country’s first female Gripen pilot.

Bangkok (Thailand): Thailand’s Queen Suthida has completed her first solo flight in a Swedish-made Gripen fighter jet, becoming the country’s first female pilot to fly the aircraft, according to the Bureau of the Royal Household.

The 48-year-old queen flew a single-seat JAS 39C Gripen for 41 minutes at Wing 7 air base in Surat Thani province on October 8, with King Maha Vajiralongkorn watching the flight.

The solo sortie marked the culmination of a specialised conversion training programme conducted according to Royal Thai Air Force standards. After the flight, the king congratulated the queen with a bouquet of flowers and presented her with a Golden Gripen Order patch, an insignia associated with the Swedish honorary organisation that recognises pilots who have flown the aircraft.

From flight attendant to experienced pilot

Queen Suthida, who worked as a flight attendant for Thai Airways before joining the royal household, began flying in May 2010. She has accumulated 1,188.48 flying hours across several aircraft, according to figures reported by Thai media.

Her experience includes Cessna T-41D training aircraft, CT-4E Airtrainers, Pilatus PC-9s, Mooney M20M aircraft and Piper PA-34 Seneca planes. She has also flown Boeing 737-400 and 737-800 passenger aircraft and has served as co-pilot alongside the king on royal journeys.

Before undertaking the solo Gripen flight, the queen had logged 10.13 hours in the two-seat JAS 39D variant.

Training before the solo flight

The queen’s preparation included 45 academic subjects covering aircraft systems and emergency procedures, followed by 20 simulator sessions. She then progressed to practical training in the two-seat Gripen with an instructor before flying the single-seat version independently.

The JAS 39C is a multirole combat aircraft manufactured by Swedish aerospace and defence company Saab. Thailand operates Gripen C/D fighters through its air force and ordered four newer Gripen E/F aircraft in 2025, with deliveries planned by 2030.

Queen Suthida’s flight adds a military aviation milestone to her experience across civilian and military aircraft. While the royal household identifies her as Thailand’s first female Gripen pilot, a broader claim that she is the world’s first or only queen to fly a fighter jet solo could not be independently verified.

Photo Source: Royal World Thailand