Overview
- Queen Suthida flew a single-seat Saab JAS 39C Gripen solo at RTAF Wing 7 in Surat Thani on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in a sortie the palace said lasted 41 minutes.
- Palace officials said the flight followed the RTAF’s standard conversion syllabus, including 45 academic and emergency subjects, about 20 simulator sorties, and roughly 10 hours in a two-seat JAS 39D.
- King Maha Vajiralongkorn and senior air force leaders watched the sortie and, after landing, the king presented the queen with a bouquet and a Golden Gripen Order patch pinned to her sleeve.
- The palace reported that Queen Suthida first flew as a pilot in 2010 and now has logged more than 1,188 hours across multiple aircraft types, including experience as a royal Boeing 737 co-pilot.
- The event was framed publicly as a ceremonial aviation milestone and sits alongside broader RTAF plans to expand its Gripen fleet after a 2025 order for Gripen E/Fs that Saab says will be delivered by 2030.