SAHA EXPO-2024 defence and aerospace exhibition set to start in Istanbul

SAHA Istanbul press release

The defence and aerospace industry is a constantly evolving ecosystem with its own unique dynamics. With the rapid development of technology in today’s world, defence concepts and security approaches are undergoing a major transformation. Countries that invest in new technologies and integrate them into the field not only increase their military power, but also create a strong economic structure through exports. The fact that defence spending has not decreased even during the pandemic reveals how critical this area is in terms of national security and strategic importance.

Countries that possess new and unique technologies gain not only militarily but also economically. The regional conflicts that have emerged in recent years show how critical national defence capacity is and how innovative technologies have become a necessity rather than an option.

Türkiye has recently taken important steps towards full independence in the defence and aerospace sectors. Acting with the vision of nationalization, we have greatly reduced external dependence and have become a country producing high technology. In the last 20 years, Türkiye’s defence industry has undergone a significant transformation. Today, we are successfully producing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), warships and defence products with many innovative technologies that attract global attention. These technologies not only meet the needs of our domestic security forces, but also enable us to become competitive in the global market.

Global defence expenditures have reached $2.4 trillion, remaining unrestricted even during challenging periods such as the pandemic. There has been an upward trend of 5.4 percent over the last 22 years, with the conflict in Ukraine in particular triggering this increase. The US, China, Russia, India, and the UK account for 75 percent of total spending, and the gap between them is growing rapidly. While the Russia-Ukraine war has once again demonstrated the importance of countries’ own defence capabilities, Türkiye has increased its defence and aerospace turnover by reducing its defence expenditures through localization and nationalization policies.

The momentum provided by the nationalization movement in the defence and aerospace industry has transformed Türkiye into a country that can compete on a global scale. This process, which is considered a turning point in our defence industry, has gained momentum in recent years. In 2002, our defence industry turnover was only around 1 billion dollars, while this figure reached 12 billion dollars by 2023. In the same period, our defence industry exports have also increased significantly. Our export target, which reached 5.5 billion dollars in 2023, aims to exceed 6 billion dollars in 2024.

SAHA Istanbul Defence & Aerospace Cluster, the most important civilian initiative at the heart of our defence and aerospace industry, which is the rising star of our country, was established in 2015 with the mission of improving the technological and sectoral competencies of its members in order to increase the localization rate, develop critical technologies and strengthen international competitiveness in line with the National Technology Move, and to create a strong ecosystem by supporting cooperation between members.

We started our journey nine years ago with 27 member companies, and today we continue our journey with more than 1200 companies, mostly SMEs, operating in 52 different fields in 49 cities, 29 universities and many important institutions/organizations with which we cooperate. SAHA Istanbul, which we established with the mission of improving the technological and sectoral competencies of our members and creating a strong ecosystem by supporting the cooperation between our members in order to increase the localization rate of the Turkish defence and aerospace sector, to provide it with critical technologies that it does not yet have, and to move it to higher levels in international competition, has become not only Türkiye’s, but also Europe’s largest industrial cluster.

This year, with the theme “Rule Technology, Shape the Future”, SAHA EXPO 2024 will host our exhibitors and visitors on an area of 90,000 square meters, an increase of more than 50% compared to the previous exhibition.

Offering an international platform to showcase Türkiye’s defence and aerospace production potential and independent production power, our exhibition will introduce many high-tech products of strategic importance in the defence, aerospace, maritime and space industries for the first time. Our domestic companies producing these products will have the opportunity to meet with international participants, official and commercial delegations within the scope of the exhibition.

At this year’s SAHA EXPO, we aim to establish new collaborations and sign agreements that will carry our defence industry exports even further. We especially focus on SMEs, which form the backbone of the aerospace industry, and aim to support their project development, business growth and export efforts. SAHA EXPO brings together local industrialists with defence and aerospace industry companies and international procurement delegations under the leadership of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, as a platform that mediates the marketing of products and the establishment of new collaborations.

SAHA EXPO, which started its journey with an area of 10,000 m² and achieved significant success in a short period of time, has reached 90,000 m² today, and is proud to continue as a “global meeting” with the participation of more than 1,200 domestic and international defence and aerospace industry companies. This year, we are expecting more than 1,200 exhibitors, more than 500 official and trade delegations and more than 150,000 visitors. We plan to organize more than 150 product launches, aiming to present our latest products to the global market.

At SAHA EXPO, we organize “International Panel” and “Keynote Speaker” sessions where local and foreign industry professionals, senior executives and scientists will be speakers and share their knowledge and experience with the participants in order to evaluate the latest developments in the defence industry and present innovative ideas to increase the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector. We inform our exhibitors and visitors about current developments with “Focus Talks” events, which will be organized in an interactive format in order to provide information on technical issues concerning the sector.

Developments regarding FPV drones, which have recently changed the course of battles with their use in the battlefield, will be discussed in an international panel, and technology enthusiasts will be brought together with the FPV Drone competition to be held in the open exhibition area.

As a first at SAHA EXPO this year, we are also exhibiting our important competencies in this field by opening our warships and unmanned naval vehicles produced with domestic and national facilities to the visits of our official delegations, participants and the public in Sarayburnu and Ataköy Ports.

In addition, with the sectoral pavilions such as Testing and Certification, Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence, and Software, we facilitate the participation of small-scale companies in the exhibition and support their business development and export efforts. In our “Space Pavilion”, which we have created for the first time in Türkiye, we aim to bring together the technologies and products of our participating companies related to the space industry with our visitors, to tell the world about our work in this field with various promotions and information about our National Space Program, and to share the developments in the space industry with the participants through the “Space Talks” events to be held in an interactive format.

Within the framework of SAHA Istanbul’s vision of “We are stronger together”, SAHA EXPO 2024 will be the platform that we will realize together with our industrialists in the strongest way. We would like to welcome everyone who wants to see the latest technological developments in the defence and aerospace industry on site, and to open the doors of this new era where those who shape technology will shape the future. We are delighted to welcome everyone who wants to experience the latest technological developments in this field on site and to open the doors to the new world where those who dominate technology will shape the future.

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