IDEF 2025
The 17th edition of the International Defence Industry Fair, IDEF in short, saw the exhibition move to new premises. After years at the Tuyap Exhibition Centre, the 2025 edition of IDEF took place at the Istanbul Expo Center, which allowed to widen the scope of the event adding part of the apron of the nearby Ataturk Airport, the add-on space allowed to showcase numerous land assets as well as aircraft, and to present in flight some of the latter, as well as the nearby Atakoy Marina which hosted some naval platforms, making IDEF 2025 a real tri-service exhibition. Moreover, following the days reserved to professional visitors, the exhibition was extended to Saturday and Sunday, when non-professional visitors could enter the premises to witness the latest advances in defence assets.
Organised by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation and by KFA Fairs Organization Inc., it gathered in Istanbul 1,491 exhibitors representing 49 countries. It is to say that wit time IDEF has changed; with the Turkish defence industry becoming more and more a key player on the world market, and the nation more and more self-sufficient in terms of defence assets, Turkey is not considered anymore a key customer by many defence international majors. The international presence is therefore reduced edition after edition, with some exceptions, while delegations are more and more from potential customers that look at the latest developments of the Turkish defence industry.
An industry which is capable to propose every year new systems and technological innovations, and which has become a serious competitor for those countries that traditionally are considered the principal producers of defence assets.
Hereafter EDR On-Line readers can find a non-comprehensive list of articles on new systems seen at the Istanbul exhibition.
Aselsan Turan 100 BR-OM, a mobile tactical cloud for warfighters
Assan group unveils Firtina hybrid powerpack proposal and new bunker-buster bomb
Roketsan unveils new weapon systems
FNSS and Roketsan join to present a self-propelled armoured C-UAS system
FNSS awaits a considerable production increase in the near future
MKE unveils a new family of loitering munitions
Menatek increases its footprint in form-Soviet equipment MRO adding barrel manufacturing to mobility items
Aselsan, 50 years and counting
Transporting the Altay MBT: the Zeybek 8×8 Tank Transporter by BMC
Otokar, production running and looking for new contracts
