SAHA Istanbul Chairman Haluk Bayraktar announced at the press briefing ahead of SAHA EXPO 2026 that the defense production model is undergoing a fundamental transformation. SAHA Istanbul will channel revenues from the trade fair into drone production and training centers planned for all 81 provinces of Türkiye.
According to Bayraktar, the goal is "to reach a production capacity of millions of drones across all of Türkiye at any moment." The approach moves away from classic centralized manufacturing and seeks to build distributed industrial infrastructure that enables uninterrupted production in crisis and war scenarios. The centers will not only produce but also cover training, testing and development in a multi-layered structure.
Bayraktar emphasized this is not a theoretical goal but a necessity directly aligned with current conflicts. He drew attention to the Russia-Ukraine War, where large and centralized production facilities have become targets, and noted that distributed production models prove far more resilient. "Production happens in homes, small workshops, with 3D printers and simple prototyping systems. This seemingly simple model produces highly effective results in the field."
From a supply chain perspective, the vision reduces single-point failure risk in defense manufacturing while deepening the integration of small and medium producers into the ecosystem. The 81-province model demands new coordination architecture for skilled labor, digital certification, quality control and raw material supply flows.
Key Takeaways:
1. SAHA Istanbul will set up drone production and training centers in all 81 provinces of Türkiye.
2. SAHA EXPO 2026 revenues will fund the project.
3. The goal is to reach millions of drones in production capacity at any moment.
4. The distributed production model is designed for uninterrupted supply in crisis scenarios.
5. Bayraktar said the Russia-Ukraine War shows large facilities are targets and distributed models prove more resilient.
