April 15, 2019 Reserve Citizen Airmen depart for F-35A’s first Middle East deployment F-35A pilots, maintainers, and support personnel from the Air Force Reserve 419th Fighter Wing and active duty 388th Fighter Wing deployed to Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates last week – the first Middle East deployment for the U.S. Air Force’s F-35A Lightning II. The group is made up