Thai queen flies Gripen fighter jet solo for the first time
BANGKOK: Thailand’s Queen Suthida has flown a Gripen fighter jet solo for the first time, the royal household revealed Friday, watched on by her husband King Maha Vajiralongkorn, himself a keen pilot.
Bangkok: On Thursday, Queen Suthida of Thailand embarked on a historic journey, flying a Gripen fighter jet solo from a military air base in southern Surat Thani province. The 48-year-old monarch, who married King Maha Vajiralongkorn in 2019, had undergone weeks of simulator training and approximately ten hours in a two-seat Gripen prior to this solo flight.
As a former Thai Airways flight attendant, Suthida had been piloting aircraft since 2010, accruing nearly 1,190 hours of flight experience. She has frequently accompanied the king on royal missions, including landing at Paro airport in Bhutan, renowned for its challenging conditions. Upon her safe landing, King Maha Vajiralongkorn presented her with a bouquet and pinned a Golden Gripen Order patch onto her left arm, marking her as Thailand's first female Gripen pilot.
Thailand is currently equipped with a squadron of Gripen C/D fighters, manufactured by Sweden's Saab, and has recently signed a deal for three Gripen E jets and one Gripen F, valued at approximately US$556 million, with delivery expected by 2030.
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