Thailand’s Queen Suthida flies Gripen fighter jet solo

The flight highlights Queen Suthida’s aviation training and air force involvement

Last updated:
Devadasan K P, Chief Visual Editor
Thailand’s Queen Suthida flies Gripen fighter jet solo

Thailand’s Queen Suthida has flown a fighter jet solo, with footage released by the Royal Office showing her piloting a Saab JAS 39C Gripen.

The video, dated October 8, 2026, shows the Queen flying the Swedish-made fighter aircraft at the Royal Thai Air Force’s Wing 7 in Surat Thani province.

The solo flight highlights Queen Suthida’s aviation training and involvement with Thailand’s air force.

The Saab JAS 39C Gripen is a multirole combat aircraft developed by Swedish aerospace company Saab. Designed for missions including air defence and air-to-air combat, the aircraft is used by several air forces around the world.

The Royal Office released the footage of the flight on Thursday, offering a glimpse of the Queen at the controls of the advanced military aircraft.

 Video: AFP

Devadasan K P
Devadasan K PChief Visual Editor
Devadasan K P is the Chief Visual Editor at Gulf News, bringing more than 27 years of experience in photojournalism to the role. He leads the Visual desk with precision, speed, and a strong editorial instinct. Whether he’s selecting images of royalty, chasing the biggest celebrity moments in Dubai, or covering live events himself, Devadasan is always a few steps ahead of the action. Over the years, he has covered a wide range of major assignments — including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, feature reportage from Afghanistan, the IMF World Bank meetings, and wildlife series from Kenya. His work has been widely recognised with industry accolades, including the Minolta Photojournalist of the Year award in 2005, the Best Picture Award at the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2008, and a Silver Award from the Society for News Design in 2011. He handles the newsroom pressure with a calm attitude, a quick response time, and his signature brand of good-natured Malayali humour. There's no fuss — just someone who gets the job done very well, every single time.

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