Türkiye's premier defense event kicks off in Istanbul

The SAHA Expo, Türkiye's flagship defense and aerospace event, organized by the Istanbul Defense and Aerospace Cluster Association (SAHA), began on Tuesday in Istanbul.

The five-day event at the Istanbul Expo Center showcases cutting-edge defense products from Türkiye and 120 foreign nations. A total of 1,478 companies are participating, including 178 foreign buying delegates and 312 officials, with 25 government ministers in their ranks.

The expo is set to host over 200 signing ceremonies and unveil 300 new products, with expectations of generating more than $2 billion through contracts and negotiations.

This year's expo features new cybersecurity and artificial intelligence pavilions, alongside public participation days to enhance accessibility and engagement.

Anadolu is the global communications partner of the event.

- Game-changing Turkish products

At the opening ceremony, Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir highlighted that global defense spending had surged from $1.75 trillion in 2022 to $2.45 trillion in 2023.

"As a country located along the geographical line where the world's crises and conflicts are most intense, we cannot afford to be indifferent to this picture," he said, underscoring the importance of developing national and indigenous defense technologies.

Kacir stressed that the scope of Türkiye's defense projects has expanded significantly, growing from just 62 in 2002 to more than 1,000 today.

He noted that since 2002, Türkiye has issued incentive certificates for 883 defense-related investments, facilitating fixed investments of 128 billion Turkish liras ($11.96 billion). The USD/TRY exchange rate averaged 10.7 during this period.

Türkiye's domestic defense industry is now seen as a game-changer, with developments across various sectors, including air, naval, land vehicles, and space systems, he said. The country is rapidly positioning itself as a global leader in these critical technologies.

"With more than 3,500 companies and more than 90,000 qualified human resources in its value chain, our defense industry adds new achievements every day," Kacir noted.

He added: "Strong cooperation between ecosystem actors, international quality production capabilities, and an innovative research and development approach enable successful security solutions that address the needs of not only Türkiye but also of friendly and brotherly countries."