21/08/2026
Queen Suthida to begin Gripen flight training, on course to become Thailand's first fighter-pilot queen
Her Majesty Queen Suthida is scheduled to train on the Saab Gripen fighter jet at Wing 7 in Surat Thani from 20 August to 4 September, according to veteran military correspondent Wassana Nanuam.
If completed, it would make her the first queen in the world to fly a fighter aircraft.
Her flying background
The Queen is already a qualified pilot. According to the report, she has trained on the L39 at the Royal Thai Air Force flying school in Kamphaeng Saen, and has completed multiple simulator sessions, passing her flight assessments at the highest grade.
This week she is training on a simulator at the air force base in Don Mueang.
From 20 August to 4 September she is due to train on an actual Gripen at Wing 7, progressing towards a solo flight, following the air force's standard pilot training pathway. She is training under air force supervision and instruction.
Wing 7 in Surat Thani is the home of the Royal Thai Air Force's Gripen fleet, operated by 701 Squadron and known as the Sharks of the Andaman. Thailand acquired the Saab Gripen from Sweden under a procurement approved in 2010 to replace the ageing F5 fleet.
The Queen has visited Wing 7 privately several times to study the aircraft and speak with pilots.
The report says Saab of Sweden, which manufactures the Gripen, has expressed pride at the Queen training on the aircraft.
Source: Wassana Nanuam
