ISTANBUL, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye's SAHA EXPO 2026, one of Europe's largest defense and aerospace gatherings, opened Tuesday in Istanbul, highlighting a growing shift toward artificial intelligence-driven warfare and autonomous industrial cooperation.
The five-day event, held at the Istanbul Expo Center, brought together over 1,700 exhibitors from more than 120 countries, according to the organizers.
A central focus of this year's exhibition is the transition from conventional military systems to next-generation technologies. Live demonstrations are expected to illustrate how artificial intelligence is moving from research environments into operational use, organizers said.
Among Türkiye's items on display, Yildirimhan, an intercontinental hypersonic ballistic missile developed by the Ministry of National Defense's R&D unit, was unveiled for the first time on the opening day. The system is described as the largest and longest-range missile ever produced by the country.
The biennial event, now in its fifth edition, also features a range of new unmanned systems, robotics platforms, and aerospace technologies introduced by Turkish defense firms, organizers said. ■
