Domestic companies participating in SAHA EXPO 2018, a three-day event that started Sept. 13, to bring together local and international defense giants, inked memorandums of understanding (MoU) for the sale of their products to Malaysia, Indonesia and Central, South and North America. Many domestic companies taking part in SAHA EXPO 2018, organized by the Defense, Aerospace Cluster Association (SAHA Istanbul), had the chance to open up to international markets. Business talks were held between companies at the expo. Concrete agreements arose from these talks, and groundwork for future projects was prepared.

SAHA Istanbul Vice Chairman and THY Technic Inc. Adviser to General Manager Halil Tokel indicated that the fair welcomed nearly 40 senior level decision makers from governments and companies in various countries, including Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sudan, Jordan, Libya, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

As part of the fair, Galen Technology, which produces test devices for aircraft engines and diesel engines, signed an agreement to sell of its products to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Berdan Civata, Simerkom Elektrik, Koçak Petrol, Sadtek Elektronik, Yepsan Defense and Aerospace Inc., 6gen Panel, and Altınay Aviation and Advanced Technologies signed agreements to market their products to Central, South and North American regions.

SAHA Istanbul Chairman Haluk Bayraktar emphasized that the fair drew more interest than expected from local and foreign developers and provided a platform in which main and sub-contractors in the defense industry are able to convene.

"We plan to organize a bigger SAHA Expo in March 2020," he said and added that progress was made with regard to accessing new collaborations in-house and new markets abroad as many companies unveiled products and capabilities at the event.

Senior officials of defense firms, parliamentarians and military officials from Ukraine, Bangladesh, Libya, Jordan, Sudan, Malaysia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, India, Italy, Belarus and Indonesia visited the expo and held significant B2B meetings with participating firms, discussing potential export collaborations. Important talks were held between main and subcontractors and the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to build the domestic and national defense industry and to increase the locality ratio, he added.

Bayraktar said that SAHA EXPO was an important achievement despite being held for the first time and that they aim to raise the bar in the following years.

Defense giants, including Turkey's leading unmanned aerial platform developer Baykar and ASELSAN, are the platinum sponsors of the SAHA EXPO. Local defense contractors BMC, Kale Group, Roketsan, Akım Metal and Altınay Aviation are among the other sponsors.

The SAHA Istanbul Defense and Aerospace Cluster Association was established by 27 Turkish companies three years ago. It wants to see Turkey as a global power that can produce its own aircraft, ships and weapons systems that can compete with the rest of the world.

It was founded to develop synergy between some 65,000 industrialists. SAHA Istanbul has 268 members today.

Last month, Haluk Bayraktar, the general manager of Baykar Makina, Turkey's leading unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) developer, was elected the new chairman of SAHA Istanbul.

Meanwhile, according to data from the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TİM), Turkey's defense and aerospace exports increased by 14.84 percent in the first eight months of the year, reaching $1.2 billion.