SAHA 2026 defense fair set to break new records in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

The SAHA EXPO 2026 International Defense, Aerospace and Space Industry Fair is returning for its fifth edition on May 5-9, 2026, at the Istanbul Expo Center.

It is organized by SAHA Istanbul, which is the largest defense and aerospace cluster in both Türkiye and Europe.

SAHA 2026 will be held across an expanded area of 400,000 square meters and will host more than 1,700 participating companies from over 120 countries. More than 25,000 planned business-to-business meetings are expected to take place throughout the event, with total visitor numbers projected to exceed 200,000, signaling new records for the organization.

One of the most critical components of the fair this year will be the high-level participation of commercial and official delegations. Procurement and sourcing delegations will have the opportunity to evaluate the capabilities of participating companies on site, establishing direct contact for supply agreements, joint production initiatives, program-based collaborations and long-term capacity planning.

Another standout event at SAHA 2026 will be World Drone Wars, positioned as an output-oriented platform that, for the first time in the world, enables FPV drone technologies to be tested in real combat-like environments.

Official delegations and institutional decision-makers will gain a comprehensive view of the ecosystem’s capacity landscape, creating strong ground for high-level coordination, trust-based cooperation and the development of strategic agendas.

With each passing year, SAHA continues to contribute to the stronger integration of Turkish companies into the international defense industry supply chain. Major foreign defense contractors attending the fair engage directly with Turkish manufacturers on joint projects, procurement agreements and technology-sharing initiatives.

The event was first held in 2018 on a 2,600-square-meter exhibition area with the participation of 183 companies from 12 countries, including 152 domestic and 31 foreign firms. During that inaugural edition, more than 600 B2B meetings were conducted and over 13,000 visitors attended.

By 2024, SAHA had reached a peak in both scale and quality. The fair hosted 1,478 participating companies from 121 countries across a total exhibition area of 90,000 square meters. Total visitor numbers reached 101,337, with 25,944 of them classified as professional visitors. The event featured 22,467 scheduled B2B meetings and welcomed 488 official and 178 commercial delegation members.

High-level attendance included 27 ministers, six defense industry presidents and six chiefs of general staff. A total of 208 product launches were held, while 133 agreements worth 6.2 billion dollars were signed during the fair.