SAHA 2026 eyes $8B in export deals as Turkish defense industry stars gather in Istanbul

• Türkiye exports over 230 defense products to 185 countries, says head of Turkish Defense Industries Secretariat
• SAHA fair has grown from 180 firms in 2018 to one of Europe’s largest defense industry gatherings

Türkiye expects around $8 billion in export contracts to be signed during this week’s SAHA 2026 fair in Istanbul, one of the country’s largest defense, aviation, and space industry events, the head of the Turkish Defense Industries Secretariat said Tuesday.

“During this fair, we expect contracts worth around $8 billion to be signed,” Haluk Gorgun told Anadolu on the sidelines of the SAHA 2026 International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition at the Istanbul Expo Center.

The event, organized by SAHA Istanbul, Türkiye’s and Europe’s largest defense, aviation and space industry cluster, opened its doors Tuesday and will run through Saturday. Anadolu is the fair’s global communications partner.

Gorgun said SAHA has continued to expand every year, mentioning how AHA Expo began in 2018 on an area of just 5,000 square meters (53,820 square feet) with 180 companies from 12 countries.

By 2024, the fair had reached participants from 121 countries and more than 100,000 visitors, he said.

“This year, around 121,000 square meters (1.3 million square feet) of stand space is being used. Nearly 200 delegations will attend, along with more than 800 official participants accompanying those delegations,” Gorgun said.

He said the fair layout was designed around a “green road,” with large Turkish defense companies positioned at key squares along the route, surrounded by their subcontractors and industrial partners.

“Each company is participating together with its own ecosystem,” he said.

Gorgun said SAHA Istanbul, with more than 1,300 members, plays a key role in strengthening Türkiye’s defense supply chain, improving interaction between small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), prime contractors and subcontractors, and supporting the localization of new products.

He said major projects and decisions taken by the Defense Industry Executive Committee would be announced throughout the event.

“Important export contracts formed as a result of our companies’ business development activities will also be signed at the fair,” he said.

Gorgun said that over the past 20 years Türkiye’s defense industry has achieved a localization rate of more than 80%, adding that the country now develops products and platforms across all major defense domains, including land, air, naval, submarine and space systems.

He said Türkiye not only produces platforms, but also develops their subsystems, munitions, and logistics systems, meeting domestic needs while offering them to friendly and allied countries under a “win-win” approach.

Türkiye currently exports more than 230 defense products to 185 countries, Gorgun said, adding that repeated demand from export markets shows satisfaction with Turkish defense products and services.

He also noted that Türkiye posted a record $10.5 billion in defense and aerospace exports last year, while export contracts signed in the first four months of this year approached $7 billion.

“With this fair, that figure will increase further,” he said. “We expect contracts worth around $8 billion to be signed during this fair.”

* Writing by Mucahithan Avcioglu