SAHA 2026 opens with $8 billion export deal target

ISTANBUL

SAHA 2026, Türkiye’s major defense, aerospace and space industry fair, opened at Istanbul Expo Center on May 5, bringing together domestic and international companies for five days of product launches, meetings and signing ceremonies.

Organized by SAHA Istanbul, the fair will run until May 9 and host more than 1,700 exhibitors from over 120 countries, according to organizers.

The event is expected to feature 203 new product launches and 164 signing ceremonies, while more than 30,000 business-to-business meetings are planned during the fair.

SAHA Istanbul officials aim to raise the value of export contracts signed under the fair framework to at least $8 billion this year, after $6.2 billion in export contracts were announced at SAHA 2024

The fair is being held across indoor and outdoor areas at the Istanbul Expo Center, with unmanned ground vehicles and rover systems also set to demonstrate their capabilities on special tracks.

Major Turkish defense companies, including Baykar, ASELSAN, STM and ROKETSAN, are using the event to display new platforms, upgraded systems and advanced munitions.

Baykar is presenting its Mızrak smart loitering munition, which the company says has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, along with the K2 kamikaze UAV and Sivrisinek loitering munition.

ASELSAN is expected to introduce new systems linked to Türkiye’s “Steel Dome," and naval defense capabilities, while STM will display new unmanned systems, including a long-range kamikaze UAV and interceptor UAV technologies.

ROKETSAN is taking part with advanced munitions and the ALKA-KAPLAN directed energy weapon system platform, developed with FNSS.

TCG Anadolu, Türkiye’s largest warship, will also be opened to visitors at Sarayburnu Port during the fair period. SAHA organizers said TCG Anadolu will be open to public visits at Sarayburnu on May 9.

Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır, speaking at the opening ceremony, said Türkiye had built one of the few broad defense industry ecosystems in the world.

“We have raised the share of domestic products in the defense industry to around 80 percent,” Kacır said.

“Türkiye produces two-thirds of the armed drones sold in the world and is one of 10 countries capable of building its own warship.”

The fair also includes investment and space technologies among its main themes, with organizers presenting SAHA 2026 as a platform for procurement, supply-chain links and international cooperation rather than only a product showcase.