SAHA EXPO showcases Ukrainian defense companies in Istanbul
One of the biggest international defense exhibitions, SAHA EXPO, takes place in Istanbul. The Ukrainian defense industry was well-represented, with two booths showcasing ten of Ukraine's most renowned and largest defense enterprises and companies.
Ukrinform writes about this.
This year, more than 120 countries will participate in the SAHA EXPO exhibition on October 22-26, and more than 1,200 companies will be represented.
At its stand, NAUDI presented the products of leading Ukrainian companies, such as:
- Ukrainian armored vehicles,
- Kvertus,
- KTD Jupiter,
- Demining Solutions,
- Ukrspecsystems,
- "System electronic export,"
- LFTX,
- "Aviation systems of Ukraine,"
- as well as state partners, including the "Luch" Construction Bureau.
"The uniqueness of our products is that they are all used on the battlefield, tested in real war conditions. All companies of the Association receive feedback from the military and improve their products by real needs," mentioned at the NAUDI stand.
JSCs "Motor Sich," "Ivchenko-Progres," "FED," and "Ukroboronprom" were presented at another joint stand of the Aerospace Association of Ukraine.
"Ukrainian aviation engines are known not only in Türkiye thanks to the cooperation with the Baykar company, but also worldwide. It is already a well-known global brand. Ukrainian engines are of high quality and reliability, which has been proven by time and our projects. We are already cooperating, so today we came to say hello," a visitor to the stand from among representatives of foreign delegations shared his impressions.
During his visit to SAHA EXPO in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye announced that a total of 6.2 billion dollars in contracts were completed, including 4.6 billion dollars in export contracts. Some of these contracts were also made with Ukrainian companies.
"In 2002, our defense exports barely reached 248 million dollars. We took it upon ourselves and increased this figure to 5.6 billion dollars. Last year alone, we exported more than 230 defense products to 185 countries. This year, our exports in September increased by 32 percent. In 2024, our military enterprises broke a serious record, exporting products to 178 countries," Erdoğan said.
On the first day of the exhibition, a Ukrainian delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, visited. The minister talked with high-ranking government officials, the Armed Forces of Türkiye, and heads of defense companies.
"Our participation in the exhibitions has two missions: to demonstrate the presence of Ukraine, deepen existing contacts, and develop new ones for the future. We are not exporting now, but we hope it will resume after the victory when the demand in the domestic market decreases. We are also looking for contacts for technical cooperation to improve their production," Ukrinform commented on the results of participation in the exhibition at the National Association of Defense Industry Enterprises of Ukraine (NAUDI).
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It's worth mentioning that the Ukrainian company "Infozakhyst" unveiled their "Archont" radio–technical intelligence complex (RTR) at the Electronic Warfare Live (EW Live) exhibition, held in the Estonian city of Tartu from September 17 to 19, 2024. This was the first time the company presented their product at the event.
It was also reported that the technological startup "Antidrone Ukraine" presented a new portable radio-electronic warfare (EW) system for the Defense Forces of Ukraine. A compact and light device weighing only 10 kilograms (without battery) can work autonomously for 2 to 5 hours.