The SAHA 2026 defense exhibition in Istanbul generated approximately $8 billion in export agreements and hosted more than 150,000 visitors alongside delegations from over 75 countries, underscoring Türkiye’s expanding role in the global defense industry, senior industry executives said during an evaluation meeting held at the event.
The exhibition brought together leading Turkish defense firms and government-linked industry representatives, who said the country has evolved from a regional supplier into a “trendsetting” actor in defense technologies. The meeting was attended by executives from major defense companies including ROKETSAN, ASELSAN, Machine and Chemical Industry Corporation, Turkish Aerospace Industries and TEI.
ROKETSAN General Manager Murat İkinci said SAHA 2026 broke records across multiple categories and reflected the growing international momentum of Türkiye’s defense sector.
“Over 150,000 visitors attended SAHA 2026. Additionally, contracts for approximately $8 billion in foreign export projects were signed,” İkinci said. He added that the exhibition was held across 400,000 square meters of indoor exhibition space and featured more than 200 newly introduced defense products.
İkinci also said the fair hosted official delegations from more than 75 countries, highlighting what he described as the innovative capacity of Turkish defense manufacturers on the international stage.
ASELSAN Chief Executive Ahmet Akyol said the exhibition demonstrated Türkiye’s growing strategic importance in European security and defense cooperation.
“We are now a country that is followed and sets trends in the defense industry. The whole world comes here asking, ‘What has Turkey done?’” Akyol said. He added that countries which had previously imposed defense-related restrictions or embargoes on Türkiye are now seeking joint production and industrial cooperation opportunities.
Akyol said the Turkish defense industry would continue to expand through sustained state support and increasing international demand for locally developed systems.
Machine and Chemical Industry Corporation General Manager İlhami Keleş said the event had evolved significantly since its early years.
“SAHA’s journey, which began in 2015 on an area of just 5,000 square meters, has today transformed into a massive global-scale organization,” Keleş said. He noted that 55 foreign ministers or deputy ministers attended the fair, describing the level of international participation as unprecedented for a defense exhibition.
Keleş said Türkiye’s defense export strategy is increasingly based on technology transfer and strategic industrial partnerships rather than traditional buyer-seller relationships.
Turkish Aerospace Industries General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu emphasized the importance of business-to-business engagement conducted during the exhibition.
Demiroğlu said nearly 30,000 B2B meetings were held during the event, adding that SAHA’s structure enabled small and medium-sized enterprises to integrate more effectively into the defense supply chain ecosystem.
TEI General Manager Mahmut Faruk Akşit said the exhibition resulted in several new commercial agreements and international partnerships.
Akşit said TEI signed three major sales contracts during the fair, including one for an international market, and added that the agreements involved engine sales and a strategic partnership with a foreign organization.
SAHA Istanbul Secretary General Levent Kerim Uça announced that the next edition of the exhibition will be held on May 16-20, 2028.
Industry representatives said SAHA 2026 has evolved beyond a regional trade fair into a strategic international defense platform, reflecting Türkiye’s growing technological capabilities, export ambitions, and diplomatic influence in the global defense sector.
