President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “The Turkish defense industry has now become a popular, reliable, carefully monitored and preferred ecosystem not only in its region but also on a global scale. Turkey has proudly written its name among the countries that shine brightly at the global level in the field of defense, aviation and space.” he said. President Erdoğan expressed his pleasure to participate in the program at the SAHA EXPO 2026 International Defense, Aerospace Industry Fair held at the Istanbul Expo Center, where Anadolu Agency is the Global Communication Partner, and greeted the visitors attending the fair.
Wishing that the fair, which was held under the auspices of the Presidency and became a brand in its field, would be beneficial for the defense sector and participating companies, Erdoğan congratulated the institutions, companies and sponsors who contributed to the execution of the fair, in which more than 1700 companies from 120 countries participated. Conveying his heartfelt congratulations to all the companies that showed up at the fair with the products they developed in the fields of land, sea, aviation, space and security, President Erdoğan said: “I wholeheartedly congratulate the SAHA Istanbul family, which is the largest defense and aerospace cluster in Europe with the active participation of more than 1300 member companies and 30 universities within it.
Our Presidency of Defense Industries, which enables more than 4,500 companies in the sector to continue their activities in harmony and coordination, is under this success story, which is the result of collective efforts.” I sincerely congratulate our signatory companies, universities and organizations, and express my gratitude to all veterans of our defense industry, from engineers to software developers, from workers to technicians.
May God continue your success and make these efforts beneficial for both our country, our friends and brothers, and humanity. Reminding that the fair was organized for the fifth time this year, Erdoğan said that they were proud to crown the fair with new records, agreements and collaborations. President Erdoğan stated that 1763 companies, 1500 of which were domestic, participated in the fair and said: “203 products that were impressive with their new features were showcased for the first time at the fair.
192 official delegations and 108 purchasing delegations had the opportunity to establish direct contact with our sector. A total business volume of 8 billion dollars was reached with 182 agreements signed. 6 billion dollars of this figure were direct export-oriented agreements.” When we look at the whole picture, this is exactly what we see: Turkish defense industry has now become a popular, reliable, carefully monitored and preferred ecosystem not only in its region but also on a global scale.
“Türkiye has proudly written its name among the countries that shine brightly at the global level in the fields of defence, aviation and space.” Emphasizing that behind this table of success is undoubtedly the labor of decades, the efforts of more than 100 thousand citizens of the country who work day and night with a dedicated spirit, the support of the nation and the will of the state, Erdoğan said, “Hopefully, we will be in better places, we will write greater success stories together, we will work non-stop until we reach the goal of a fully independent Türkiye in the defense industry.” he said.
Erdoğan stated that, at the point they have reached today, security can no longer be confined to a single area, field, or branch of industry, and said, “Security is a holistic concept in every aspect, from the factory to the testing process, from the data center to the academy, from the supply chain to feedback. Likewise, today a country’s deterrence has already exceeded the threshold measured by the number of platforms it has.
It is important which software you use to manage the platforms in your inventory, which sensors you use on them, which engines you develop for these products, and which ammunition you can produce and in what time. “It is decisive how prepared you are against cyber attacks, electronic warfare threats, unmanned systems and hybrid warfare methods.” he said. President Erdoğan noted that they have witnessed these facts once again in the recent war and conflict environments in their region and around the world, and that they have all witnessed and continue to witness how the battlefield is transforming in a wide range of areas ranging from artificial intelligence to unmanned vehicles, from autonomous systems to decision support mechanisms.
“I would like to express this with great pride today.” Erdoğan continued: “Turkey is undoubtedly one of the founding actors of this new era, where multi-layered and integrated systems replace conventional power elements. Today, Turkey is a country that produces its new generation national combat aircraft, unmanned warplanes, helicopters, UAVs, UCAVs, develops electronic warfare systems, satellite technology, warfare defense systems, radars, manufactures and builds its tanks, rockets, missiles, armored vehicles, warships, unmanned marine vehicles, and in short, is a country that can produce its own software, platforms and systems that bear its own signature at every level, from the depths of the sea to the void of space.
“Türkiye is a state that has the power and power to crush any hostile element that dares to threaten its independence and future.” President Erdoğan stated that both the proud products exhibited at SAHA 2026 and the export figures announced last week clearly explain what they mean and also reveal the level Turkey has reached. Stating that the participants saw products, projects, designs and works that would take hours or days, rather than counting the names one by one, Erdoğan said that the participants witnessed firsthand what can be achieved when faith, will, courage, effort, dedication and vision come together.
President Erdoğan pointed out that they faced the same proud situation on the export side and said, “Look, when we took office, our defense and aerospace exports were only 248 million dollars a year. Turkey was a country that was 80 percent foreign-dependent in the defense industry. We reversed this by reducing our external dependence over the years. In 2025, defense and aerospace exports exceeded 10 billion dollars for the first time in our history.” he said.
“Turkey realized 2 billion 871 million dollars of exports in the first 4 months” Underlining that April’s export figures show that last year’s momentum continues, Erdoğan said, “Our defense and aviation exports increased to 962 million dollars in April. There was a 28 percent increase in the first 4 months of 2026 compared to the same period of the previous year. Thus, it achieved 2 billion 871 million dollars of exports in the first 4 months.
That is, 23 years ago in the year Turkey, which exports 248 million dollars, achieves this figure approximately in a week. Thank God, our goal in the short term is to exceed 11 billion dollars and place our name among the top 10 countries in the world. Hopefully, we will achieve this goal with our expanding international collaborations, deepening ecosystem and increasing production capacity.” he said. President Erdoğan emphasized that it was not easy for them to write this success story that made their nation proud and gave confidence to their friends, brothers and allies, that they encountered many visible and invisible obstacles, and that they were trying to prevent them with embargoes and restrictions.
“Every time Turkey took a big step in the defense industry, someone immediately stepped in.” Pointing out that there were days when the systems they paid for were not given, Erdoğan made the following evaluations: “We were exposed to betrayal, conspiracy, and operations aimed at crushing our hopes, not only from outside, not only from those we considered friends, but also from within. We have struggled against the sabotage of the Trojan horses, which have settled and placed themselves within us, and whose images sometimes appear to be true.
This is extremely striking: Whenever Türkiye broke its shell and took a big step in the defense industry, someone immediately stepped in. They said, ‘Don’t create new inventions for us.’ They said, ‘It is easier to buy from outside.’ They said, ‘It is not economically feasible.’ They said, ‘Defense industry investments are inefficient.’ They tried to hinder our defense industry moves, sometimes by twisting economic data, sometimes by targeting our national companies, sometimes by belittling us, and sometimes with funny arguments such as “The fish are spooked.” We did not listen to any of this.
People who said ‘The fish are scared’ came and visited our fair, but they saw that the fish were probably not scared. We did not allow characters suffering from learned helplessness syndrome to draw us into their soulless, hopeless, horizonless world. We gave our answer to those who said ‘You can’t do it’ with products that have been successfully tested in the battlefields we have built and completed, as in SAHA 2026 today.” President Erdoğan noted that names such as Nuri Killigil, Şakir Zümre, Vecihi Hürkuş and Nuri Demirağ put their lives on the line and walked patiently, enabling the defense industry to reach today’s levels.
President Erdoğan said that he remembered with gratitude the pioneers of the Turkish defense industry, including the late Özdemir Bayraktar. Stating that the late Özdemir Bayraktar raised the flag that Vecihi Hürkuş raised in aviation years ago to the highest heights in unmanned aerial vehicles and waved it in the skies with great pride, Erdoğan said, “I believe that those who follow in his footsteps will properly protect this trust and continue to glorify the glory of the Turkish defense industry.” he said.
President Erdoğan said, “In addition to the defense industry and deterrence, another critical link of national security is the unity and solidarity of the nation, which we describe as the ‘internal front’. It is a fact that the stronger the national structure, the stronger and stronger the security of a country will be. It is not easy to subjugate a people united by their destiny and future, united around common values, devoted to the same ideals, and to bring such a nation to its knees, through external interventions.
However, if there is a leak inside, on the internal front.” “If a breach has been opened, if the inside is boiling and bleeding, the nation cannot survive in such a situation.” he said. This situation was explained by Mehmet Akif Ersoy in his speech at the Nasrullah Mosque: “Nations cannot be destroyed by cannons, rifles, armor, armies and aircraft. “Nations only collapse when the ties between them dissolve and they become concerned with their own troubles, their own moods, their own interests, and their own interests.” Stating that he explained it with the following words, Erdoğan said, “This is the crux of the issue today, as it was yesterday, and tomorrow.” he said.
Stating that almost every period of thousands of years of history has been a struggle, President Erdoğan said that all the struggles fought as a state and nation were won by fortifying the internal front. Erdoğan stated that, when necessary, the sounds of artillery became a lullaby for the children, and that at times they were left hungry, thirsty, unarmed and without ammunition, but they never lost their faith or despaired.
Noting that they did not compromise on their unity and integrity, Erdoğan continued his speech as follows: “We did not surrender to the dirty hands reaching out to our holy place. It is with this spirit that we repelled many attacks, many coup attempts, and many sieges targeting our survival that we were subjected to during our rule. Here I have to express this with great determination. The most strategic step we have taken today towards fortifying our inner castle is the 18th.
Terror-free Türkiye process, which has completed its month, and the goal of a terror-free zone. The Terrorism-Free Türkiye process is the name of a great vision that aims to build a peaceful, safe, prosperous and peaceful future by strengthening Turkey and neighboring countries together with their internal fronts. “Terror-free Türkiye is a fortified position established in the consciousness and heart of our nation against the fight for sharing in our region.” Stating that the intellectual and political joint headquarters of this position is the People’s Alliance, Erdoğan said, “The guide of the road to a terror-free Türkiye is also the People’s Alliance.
The catalyst of the process is the goals that the Turkish nation deserves to achieve. This goal can be achieved not with memorized patterns but with prudent, courageous and determined steps with the self-confident approach that comes with being a great nation and state. “After nearly half a century of successful struggle with its state and nation, Türkiye has demonstrated its will to get rid of terrorism and has taken a very clear stance for a Terror-Free Türkiye.” He said his words.
Stating that the basis of this will is the sacred trust of the sacred memory of the heroes who sacrificed their lives for their homeland and nation, President Erdoğan said: “The basis of this will is the fortitude of mothers and fathers who gave their children to the bosom of the black earth and buried their pain in their hearts, saying ‘may the homeland be alive’. The basis of this will is the wives of martyrs, children of martyrs, relatives of martyrs, and the sacrifices of our veterans.
With God’s permission, there is no turning back from this and there will be. Conversation “I hope we will show the whole world that the sacrifices of our beloved martyrs and veterans were not in vain by establishing the climate in a very solid way, strengthening the awareness of brotherhood, breaking down the walls of hostility one by one, eradicating the discord and completely removing the bloody and dark shadow of terrorism from these lands along with its causes.
We believe, we will succeed with God’s permission, we are determined, we will achieve our goal.” Erdoğan thanked those who contributed to the organization of the fair. SAHA Istanbul Chairman of the Board of Directors, Haluk Bayraktar, presented President Erdoğan with the “börk” made of felt carried by the janissaries on their heads. The program ended with a family photo. Source: AA
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