SURAT THANI: Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana is undertaking a Gripen fighter flight-training programme at Wing 7 in Surat Thani.
The privately undertaken programme is scheduled to run from Thursday (August 20, 2026) to September 4 and is expected to progress through the Royal Thai Air Force’s standard training stages towards a solo flight.
Flight instructors and aviation specialists are overseeing the programme and providing guidance throughout the training, the reports stated.
The reports described successful completion of the programme as potentially making Her Majesty the first reigning queen to fly a fighter aircraft.
Preparations for Gripen flight training
Before beginning the Gripen programme, Her Majesty reportedly trained on the L-39 advanced jet trainer at the Royal Thai Air Force Flying Training School in Kamphaeng Saen district, Nakhon Pathom.
Her Majesty also completed several simulator sessions, including recent training at the Royal Thai Air Force facility in Don Mueang.
Her Majesty has made several private visits to Wing 7, the principal operating base for Thailand’s Gripen 39 C/D fleet, to study the aircraft’s technical systems and speak with operational pilots.
The Royal Thai Air Force marked the 15th anniversary of the entry into service of its Gripen 39 C/D fighters and Saab 340 airborne early-warning aircraft at Wing 7 in July 2026.
Extensive military and civilian aviation experience
Her Majesty has completed aviation courses with both the Royal Thai Air Force and the Royal Thai Army and later undertook further flight training in Germany.
Her Majesty completed the Royal Thai Air Force Civilian Aviation Course on December 8, 2010, flying a Cessna T-41.
Her Majesty subsequently completed the Army Fixed-Wing Aviation Cadet Course at the Army Aviation School on January 16, 2011, also using the Cessna T-41.
On December 6, 2012, Her Majesty completed an aviation course at the Royal Thai Air Force Flying Training School, where she flew CT-4E and PC-9 aircraft.
Her Majesty’s subsequent training in Germany included a Private Pilot Licence covering the Cessna 172, Mooney M-20 and Piper PA-34 Seneca, as well as a Commercial Pilot Licence with a Boeing 737 type rating and Airline Transport Pilot Licence theory qualification.
Her Majesty also obtained an Airline Transport Pilot Licence from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and has served as co-pilot aboard royal Boeing 737-400 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The Gripen programme represents a further stage in Her Majesty’s aviation training, moving from civilian and military training and commercial aircraft towards an operational fighter platform.- The Nation/ANN
