China, UAE overtake US companies at Turkey’s IDEF 23 weapons fair

DUBAI — Turkey completed the second day of its 2023 16th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF 2023) in Istanbul on Wednesday, showcasing defense companies displaying the latest in hardware and services at the four-day event. 

The biennial event that began in 1993 is hosted by Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense and is being held at the Tuyap Fair and Congress Center. It is the largest gathering of the defense industry in Turkey and the fourth largest in the world, according to the fair’s website. 

During the 15th edition of the event held in 2021, the global fair saw more than a thousand companies from 53 countries attend. The total number of companies attending this year has not been disclosed. 

Turkey and Tajikistan signed a military and financial cooperation deal on Wednesday during the second day of IDEF 2023, in addition to a protocol on financial aid between the two countries, reported the Ankara-based, state-run Anadolu Agency. 

The United States has six exhibitors that are expected to display their offerings at the weapons fair, while China boasts about 75, according to the event's online exhibitor list. 

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are the Arab countries with the most expected exhibitors at IDEF 2023, with 15 and 5 companies respectively. 

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) is one of the companies attending IDEF 2023, where it is showcasing its own International Defense Exhibition and Maritime Defense Exhibition (IDEX and NAVDEX) and its Unmanned Systems Exhibition and the Simulation and Training Exhibition (UMEX and SimTEX).

Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon were the only other regional countries reportedly represented at IDEF 2023 with one exhibitor each. Israel did not have any companies showcasing at the global fair, while Turkey has an estimated 700 plus, stated the organizers on their website. 

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt were classified among the top 10 global arms importers from 2018 to 2022, according to a report published in March this year by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Saudi Arabia was the world’s second-largest arms importer during that period and received 9.6% of all arms imports, second only to India at 11%, according to the SIPRI publication "Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2022."