SAHA EXPO 2018 Press Meeting
Established with the mission of rendering Turkey a global power competing with the world with its technological infrastructure and to enable the country to manufacture its own aircraft, vessels, weapons and systems, SAHA Defence and Aerospace Cluster Association (SAHA Istanbul) is breaking new ground as Turkey’s greatest and fastest growing cluster!
With SAHA EXPO 2018 which will be organized for the first time this year, SAHA Istanbul will gather our industrialists and the business world owning high technology and the potential to execute production activities towards defence, aviation, maritime and space industries with the main supplier companies and international manufacturers. The Publicity Meeting of the ‘Defence, Aviation and Space Industry Fair SAHA EXPO 2018’ took place at WOW Istanbul Hotel in Yeşilköy on August 8th, 2018. The event will be held by SAHA Istanbul for the first time this year from 13 – 15 September at Istanbul Fair Center, Hall 1.
Manufacturer of National Unmanned Air Vehicles – Baykar Makina and Turkey’s pride Aselsan support SAHA EXPO 2018 as Platinum Sponsors and Ziraat Katılım is the Main Sponsor of the event. The remaining sponsors of SAHA EXPO 2018 are the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO), BMC Power, Kale Group, Roketsan, TAIS, Havelsan, Akım Metal and Altınay Robotik. The Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO), Teknopark Istanbul, Istanbul Chamber of Shipping, Istanbul Anatolian Side Organized Industrial Site (OSB), Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) and IMES OSB are among the associations supporting SAHA EXPO 2018 while Defence Turkey magazine is the press sponsor of the event.
Vice President of Defence Industries Dr. Celal Sami TÜFEKÇİ, SAHA Istanbul Chairman of the Board and Baykar Makina’s President Haluk BAYRAKTAR, ISO President Erdal BAHÇIVAN, President of the ITO Assembly Öztürk ORAN and Board Members of SAHA Istanbul attended the Publicity Meeting where the details of SAHA EXPO 2018 were shared with the public. The event will gather the manufacturers and suppliers of defence, aviation, maritime and space industry.
Delivering the opening remarks of the meeting, SAHA Istanbul Chairman of the Board Haluk BAYRAKTAR stated that they established Turkey’s greatest industry cluster with their 302 members , adding that their focus area was introducing national and indigenous products in the area of defence. BAYRAKTAR: “The rate of domestic participation was around the level of 20% in the defence industry 15 years ago. On account of the steps taken, we reached a domestic participation rate of 65% through encouraging domestic companies and as a result of the policies and criteria set by our government for rendering our defence systems national. During our fight against terrorism, Operation Olive Branch and Euphrates Shield primarily, we observed that indigenousness is a sine qua non criterion for our defence systems. Our success and the guarantee of our independence in the future will be through a powerful defence industry”. Underlining that successful products in the defence industry have been manufactured in the last period and these resulted in achievement in exports, BAYRAKTAR added, “Particularly, the Turkish Defence Industry received an order of US$ 1 billion at the event (DIMDEX 2018), held in Qatar in March. Contracts for the export of MilGem and T129 ATAK helicopters were signed. These are crucial achievements. The contribution of the clusters such as SAHA bears critical importance for taking these achievements further. 135 participant companies will take place at this fair that we will organize. During this event, these companies will be displaying the products and technologies they developed. At the same time, negotiations between businesses which we refer as ‘B2B’ will be conducted with the main platform manufacturers of the industry. Besides, panels in which the road maps for rendering the national and indigenous production model of the industry more successful will be executed as part of this event...”
Then, Secretary General of SAHA Istanbul İlhami KELEŞ made a comprehensive informative presentation on SAHA Istanbul that is a structure established as a cluster covering an industrial area of 150 million square meters in the Northern Marmara region including 52 shipyards, 54 universities and 65,000 industrialist companies. KELEŞ underlined that SAHA Istanbul started its journey in 2015 with 27 founding members and has continued its activities as Turkey’s greatest defence/industry cluster with 7 different technical sub-committees and 302 companies from 23 different industries as of August 8th, 2018.
Emphasizing that the defence industry was one of the most strategic industries for both the economy and the defence of a country, President of ISO Erdal BAHÇIVAN said, “Manufacturing a high altitude air and missile defence system, aircraft engines and domestic submarines is possible in the near future in Turkey with achievements in producing its own national tanks, battle ships, attack helicopters, missiles and infantry rifles”. Stating that SAHA EXPO 2018 bears highly critical value for the industry BAHÇIVAN continued, “This event will provide a great advantage not only for the industrialists, but also for our country and our Armed Forces. I wish it will be an efficient event both for the visitors and for the participants.”
Chairman of the Assembly of Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO) Öztürk ORAN also underlined the importance of the Fair which is to be held this year for the first time and emphasized that every innovation in the defence industry, aviation and space technologies was influential in a highly wide course. Stating that the nano-technology utilized in certain suits emerged during the activities based on space vehicles and clothes, ORAN continued, “Therefore, the industry creates numerous outputs such as a leverage effect in all aspects of life both directly and indirectly. On the other hand, when thinking of defence industries, the national power aspect should be considered as a critical aspect. A country’s voice in issues is directly proportional with its power in the field. In this respect, the most critical component of the national power lies in the defence capacity of a country. Especially, when the geopolitical and geostrategic stance of Turkey is taken into consideration, the importance of this reality can be clearly grasped. At this point, SAHA Istanbul emerges as the output of will and determination to carrying our national power further. SAHA Istanbul is the cluster address for defence and aerospace in Turkey.”
In his speech at the meeting, Vice President of Defence Industries Dr. Celal Sami TÜFEKÇİ expressed that SAHA EXPO 2018 would be bringing new initiatives in the areas of the defence industry, aviation and space. Underlining that they attached great importance to the Clusters as the Presidency of Defence Industries, TÜFEKÇİ added that though the cluster was established in 2015, the Istanbulite industrialists of SAHA Istanbul already played crucial roles in building clusters in the areas of the defence industry, aviation and space and as a result, the cluster was transformed into Turkey’s greatest industry cluster. TÜFEKÇİ said, “A smart person uses his own intelligence while a smarter person uses the intelligence of others. Manufacturing products with high added value and acquiring such technologies would never be possible as we avoid using each other’s intelligence”. Mentioning that he believed that during Industry 4.0 a trap emerged instead of an advantage for Turkey, TÜFEKÇİ added, “Training human resources for the Defence Industry and the involvement of more people in this area are essential… Unfortunately, we lack a sufficient amount of human resources. The number of people employed in the defence industry in Turkey is approximately 45,000 according to the latest data provided by SaSaD. In France, a country which we may compare to Turkey in terms of surface area and population, this figure ranges from 350,000 to 400,000. Therefore, regarding our target of becoming a developed country, it is necessary to increase our capable human resources instead of our capabilities”. Underlining that within the scope of the 100-Day Action Plan, a Common Wisdom Platform would be established with the participation of units active in the Defence Industry in Turkey (Foundation Companies, main contractor companies, SMEs and TÜBİTAK), TÜFEKÇİ continued, “Unfortunately, as we fail to cooperate, to unite our capacities in Turkey, we fail to reach a certain point and we may never achieve that. Since we also witness such themes in clusters, we are establishing this platform to equalize all of Turkey’s share and thus carrying everyone toward the same target, stronger than ever…”
The Question and Answer session started following the speeches. SAHA Istanbul Secretary General İlhami KELEŞ, SAHA Istanbul Chairman of the Board Haluk BAYRAKTAR and Vice President of Defence Industries Dr. Celal Sami TÜFEKÇİ’s answers to our questions are as follows:
Defence Turkey: Dear Mr. KELEŞ, you mentioned in your presentation that 135 companies would be participating in the event. Are all of them domestic companies? Will there be any foreign companies amongst them?
İ. KELEŞ: Since this is the first event, the format will be based completely on our own companies ,however Boeing made an attempt in this sense and it will remain as the only foreign company of the fair. The format of the 2018 event will be like that, yet foreign companies will be taking place in the events during the years 2020 and 2022.
Defence Turkey: Dear Mr. TÜFEKÇİ, it was expressed that there have been problems in the selling of ADA Class Corvette and T129B ATAK Helicopter, the contracts of which have been signed with Pakistan recently. For instance, it is mentioned that the export permits would not be granted for the engines utilized in T129s due to the political tension with the USA and similarly certain issues would arise regarding the intellectual property rights of the ADA Class Corvette’s export. What are your comments on this issue?
C.S. TÜFEKÇİ: Actually, our point of view is different than a problem. The beginning of our Defence Industry is launched by the establishment of Aselsan upon the major embargo imposed on Turkey. Therefore, such restrictions shall never discourage us; on the contrary they will motivate us further and contribute to our development. We have alternatives considering the restrictions, both in MilGem and in ATAK.
Defence Turkey: Dear Mr. BAYRAKTAR, you mentioned in your presentation the AKINCI UAV as well. Yesterday, in their statement TEI announced that they will be delivering 2 prototype engines within 100 days in order to be utilized at the AKINCI UAV within the scope of our Esteemed President’s Action Plan for 100 Days. Is the procurement of engines from foreign countries still at the agenda? Previously, Ukraine was mentioned in concern with the procurement of AI-450 series turbo – prop engines?
H. BAYRAKTAR: As of today, the AKINCI project is a platform that will be carrying our country further in that sense after the BAYRAKTAR TB2 that reached a total of 60,000 flight hours and with its radar systems and electronic pod it is a platform with the most advanced technological level. As you know, as engine alternatives, the PD170 engine is a turbo – diesel engine developed fully domestic and national by TEI. We have been conducting joint activities with them for utilizing this engine in the AKINCI platform.
Defence Turkey: Mr. BAYRAKTAR, wouldn’t the PD170 be slightly small for that aircraft? For a platform with 170hp power and weighing 5 tons?
H. BAYRAKTAR: The reinforcement of that engine has been accomplished as of now and their tests have been running. Depending on the power performance of the engine, though it bears the maximum carrying capacity, the AKINCI UAV platform will be brought to a level compatible with the performance of the engine. Presently, in respect to the engines, the Presidency of Defence Industries offers much support. There is the turbo - shaft engine project for the ATAK helicopter in addition to the turbo – diesel engine by TEI. We are continuing with project planning that will allow us flexibility and will not subject us to any restrictions if procured from foreign countries.
SAHA EXPO 2018, will be held biannually and will be transformed into an international platform showcasing the production capacity of Turkey. The event will bring together companies with high technology contributing to the manufacturing of all areas covered by the defence industry in a wide variety of products ranging from manned and unmanned air vehicles, helicopters, aircraft, armored vehicles, weapons, missiles and ammunition, submarines and battleships, tanks and their equipment, communication devices and equipment, development of cyber security, software and hardware.
