TÜBİTAK MAM, which introduced its advanced engineering products by taking part in SAHA 2026, took another important step towards its fully independent defense vision with the new contracts it signed.
SAHA 2026 International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition, the largest industrial cluster in Europe and Türkiye, opened its doors at the İstanbul Expo Center on May 5-9. Bringing together more than 1,700 companies from more than 120 countries with the vision of increasing the localization rate in the defence industry, the organization has turned into a global technology showcase with the record number of participants this year.
Organized with the support of the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the opening ceremony of the exhibition was attended by Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Industry and Technology; Yaşar Güler, Minister of National Defence; Haluk Görgün, President of Defence Industries; Haluk Bayraktar, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SAHA İstanbul; and the accompanying delegation.
Exhibited Technologies and Local Solutions
TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM) shared its capabilities in the fields of aviation, maritime and space with the participants during the exhibition. At the fair, the center created a reliable protection shield against threats with its CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Radiological, Nuclear) protective systems and test infrastructures, while offering fast and sensitive analysis with its chemical detection devices.
Reactive decontamination solutions, ballistic glass systems and sonar technologies developed to increase operational efficiency in field applications take durability and safety one step further.
Offering a wide range of performance-oriented solutions from space-qualified solar panels to Explosion Prevention and Life Support Systems specially developed for the National Combat Aircraft “KAAN”, TÜBİTAK MAM continues its innovative work.
In addition, reactive nanoadsorbent and high-performance prepreg materials, which made their debut at the fair, demonstrated the pioneering role of the center in material technologies.
During the fair, the TÜBİTAK MAM stand hosted high-level delegations, including Mehmet Fatih Kaçır, Minister of Industry and Technology, Yaşar Güler, Minister of National Defense, and Hüseyin Avşar, Vice President of Defense Industries.
Critical Raw Materials and Strategic Supply Chain Management Panel
Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy, President of TÜBİTAK MAM, took part as a speaker in the “Critical Raw Materials and Strategic Supply Chain Management” panel organized as part of the fair. Prof. Özsoy pointed out that critical raw materials are not only economic but also a strategic element in terms of technological independence and national security.
Touching on the fragility in global supply chains, Özsoy said, “Efficiency is no longer the only criterion; our new criterion is durability,” and emphasized the importance of domestic production capability in critical materials.
Signatures Signed for Future Projects
In the ceremonies held with the participation of Mehmet Fatih Kaçır, Minister of Industry and Technology, concrete steps were taken in the fields of defense and advanced technology.
In this context, TÜBİTAK MAM has signed important cooperation protocols with TEI, Delta-V, the Ministry of National Defense and ASFAT.
Within the framework of these collaborations, joint work will be carried out in a wide range of fields, from new generation coating technologies for aviation engines to turbine blade production, from CBRN protection systems to advanced technology and propulsion technologies. These signatures, which also include R&D and product commercialization activities, will play an important role in the realization of projects in the field of sustainable energy and material technologies.
TÜBİTAK MAM continues to strengthen Turkey's domestic technology capacity in the fields of defense, aerospace and space with its collaborations, innovative technologies and R&D activities at SAHA 2026.
