SURAT THANI, Thailand – Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana has commenced a fighter flight-training programme on the Gripen 39 C/D jet at Wing 7 in Surat Thani, advancing her extensive aviation career toward the cockpit of an operational combat aircraft. The privately undertaken programme, scheduled to run from August 20 to September 4, is expected to progress through the Royal Thai Air Force’s standard training stages towards a solo flight.

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Flight instructors and aviation specialists are overseeing the programme, with successful completion potentially making Her Majesty the first reigning queen to fly a fighter aircraft. The training follows extensive preparatory work, including sessions on the L-39 advanced jet trainer at the Royal Thai Air Force Flying Training School in Kamphaeng Saen district, Nakhon Pathom, as well as multiple simulator sessions at the RTAF facility in Don Mueang.

Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana is undertaking Gripen flight training at Wing 7 in Surat Thani from August 20 to September 4.

Media reports indicate that the programme follows Royal Thai Air Force procedures and is expected to progress towards a solo flight…

— Thenationthailand (@Thenationth) August 21, 2026

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 Gripen 39 C/D and Saab 340 airborne early-warning aircraft entering service at Wing 7 in July 2026.

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The Gripen programme represents a further stage in Her Majesty’s aviation training, building on qualifications that include military courses with both the RTAF and the Royal Thai Army, a Commercial Pilot Licence with a Boeing 737 type rating, and an Airline Transport Pilot Licence from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. Her Majesty has also served as co-pilot aboard royal Boeing 737-400 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

-Thailand News (TN)