Turkey's SAHA 2026 defense expo generates $8 billion in deals, Erdoğan says

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday that the SAHA 2026 defense trade show in Istanbul has generated $8 billion in agreements, including $6 billion in direct export contracts, as Turkey's defense industry continues its rapid global expansion.

Speaking at the fair on May 8, Erdoğan said 182 agreements were signed with a total business volume of $8 billion. "Agreements directly aimed at exports accounted for $6 billion of this figure," he added. The fair, organized by SAHA Istanbul — Turkey's and Europe's largest defense, aviation and space industry cluster — runs from Tuesday through Saturday.

More than 1,760 companies attended the 2026 edition, including 1,500 Turkish and 263 foreign firms, Erdoğan said. Over 200 products were showcased for the first time at the fair.

Turkey's defense exports rose about 48% year-over-year in 2025 to a record of more than $10 billion. "There was a 28% increase in the first four months of 2026 compared to the same period last year. We carried out $2.87 billion in exports in the first four months," Erdoğan said. The goal is to lift the full-year defense export figure to $11 billion, placing Turkey among the world's top 10 biggest defense exporters, he noted.

Turkey currently exports more than 230 defense systems to 185 countries.

Haluk Bayraktar, chair of SAHA Istanbul, said on X that in the first three days of the fair, companies signed nearly $8 billion in export contracts. "At SAHA 2026, as a country, we achieved a historic record," Bayraktar wrote.

The SAHA fair was launched in 2018 when it hosted 180 companies from 12 countries. It has since expanded to host more than 120 countries and over 100,000 visitors.

"When we look at the big picture, the landscape we encounter is exactly this: the Turkish defense industry has become an ecosystem that is sought after, trusted, closely watched, and preferred not only in its region but on a global scale," Erdoğan said.