Queen Suthida of Thailand flew a fighter jet solo for the first time on Thursday 8 October, taking off in a single-seat Saab JAS 39C Gripen from the Royal Thai Air Force's Wing 7 base in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand13. The sortie lasted 41 minutes, according to the account released by the Bureau of the Royal Household1. King Maha Vajiralongkorn, himself a pilot, watched together with the air force commander, Air Chief Marshal Seksan Kantha, and the Wing 7 commander13.

No instructor on board

A solo means there is nobody else in the aircraft to take control. In the Gripen C that is literally the case: it has a single seat. Pilots converting to the type therefore normally fly the two-seat Gripen D first, with an instructor in the rear cockpit. The Queen did the same, logging about 10 hours in the JAS 39D before moving to the single-seater, according to the palace12.

Before the flight she was briefed on the flight plan, carried out the pre-flight inspection herself and taxied to runway 22 for departure1. After she landed, the King presented her with a bouquet and attached a Golden Gripen Order patch to her left sleeve13. The palace says the patch came from the Gripen Order, an honorary association in Sweden, which also accepted her as a full member, and describes her as Thailand's first female Gripen pilot1.

How the conversion course was built up

The solo marked the end of a Gripen conversion course that the Queen took at the air force's invitation, following the service's standard Gripen pilot syllabus, according to the palace1. It began with 45 academic and emergency-procedure subjects in June and July 2026, followed by 20 simulator sorties and the dual flights in the two-seater1. Thai PBS World reported that she trained in Surat Thani in two blocks, from 20 August to 4 September and from 25 September to 8 October2.

A first solo on a new type is a standard milestone, not the end of fighter training. Becoming an operational fighter pilot normally also involves tactical phases such as formation flying, air combat and weapons employment. It is not known whether the Queen will continue into those phases56.

From light aircraft to the Boeing 737

Suthida, 48, is a former Thai Airways flight attendant who married the King in 20193. She first flew on 13 May 2010 in a Cessna T-41D of the air force's Squadron 604, and went on to fly the CT-4E Airtrainer, Pilatus PC-9, Mooney M20M and Piper PA-34 Seneca1. According to The Nation, her training in Germany included a private pilot licence and a commercial pilot licence with a Boeing 737 type rating and ATPL theory, and she also holds an airline transport pilot licence from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand4.

She regularly flies as co-pilot alongside the King on royal trips3. The palace lists the Boeing 737-400 and 737-800 for those flights, with more than 450 hours on the 737-8001. Before the Gripen programme she trained on the L-39 jet trainer at the air force flying training school in Kamphaeng Saen, The Nation reported4. Her total flying time is more than 1,188 hours, according to the palace1.

The Gripen in Thai service

Wing 7 is home to the air force's Gripen C/D squadron, which entered service in 20111. Thailand received 12 Gripen C/D aircraft and operates 11 after a JAS 39C was lost in a crash in January 20171. In August 2025 it ordered three single-seat Gripen E and one two-seat Gripen F, a deal AFP put at about US$556 million, with deliveries due by 203013. Saab congratulated the Queen on the flight2.

Frequently asked questions

Which aircraft did Queen Suthida fly solo?

A single-seat Saab JAS 39C Gripen of the Royal Thai Air Force, from Wing 7 in Surat Thani13.

How much Gripen training did she have before the solo?

According to the palace, 45 academic and emergency-procedure subjects, 20 simulator sorties and about 10 hours with an instructor in the two-seat JAS 39D1.

Does a solo make her an operational fighter pilot?

No. A first solo shows a pilot can fly the type alone; operational status normally requires further tactical training. Whether she will continue is not known56.