Hundreds visit Turkish companies' stalls at IDEAS 2022 defense fair

Mini drones, light weaponry and specialized apparels remain magnet for visitors and foreign delegates

KARACHI:

Hundreds of local and foreign delegates and visitors thronged Turkish companies’ stalls on the second day of a major defense fair being held in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday.

Some 28 of Türkiye's top defense manufacturers are showcasing their military hardware at the four-day fair that began on Tuesday.

They include STM (Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.S), Roketson, Meteksan, ASFAD, Makin eve Kimya Endustrisim, Tualcom, and others.

Nearly 300 international defense manufacturers from 32 countries, along with over 260 delegates from 64 countries are taking part in the defense exhibition, a leading defense expo in South Asia.

The biennial event billed as "IDEAS 2022," is taking place after a gap of four years as the 2020 fair could not take place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Together with China, Türkiye has the largest representation at the fair.

Kamran Tessori, the governor of southern Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital, and Major General Arif Malik, the director general of the country's defense exports promotion authority, also paid a visit to the Turkish pavilion.

Tessori, who expressed interest in Turkish defense products during his visit, hoped that Ankara's "huge" participation in the fair would open up new avenues for mutual cooperation in the defense and security sectors.

Mini drones attract visitors

Turkish defense companies are displaying a wide range of products, from military hardware to tactical mini-UAV systems to light weaponry to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity solutions.

Mini drones (mini-UAV systems) at the STM’s pavilion, however, remained the center of attraction.

“We have never seen (military) drones from such a close range before. They are simply impressive,” Arif Jameel, a retired government official who visited the Turkish pavilion with family, told Anadolu Agency.

“And I have never seen such huge drones before,” his wife, attired in a black gown and matching scarf, said in a lighter tone as an STM official briefed a group of Pakistan Army officers on the technology and operation of drones.

A variety of “superior arms” such as hand guns, light and heavy machine guns, and specialized apparels produced by Canik – a group of five defense companies – also attracted a good number of visitors.

Ahmet Salih Erdem, a deputy general manager of Tualcom Elektronik, which deals with communication and RF technologies, said his company has got a “positive” response from both local and foreign delegates.

Erdem told Anadolu Agency that his company is exhibiting several cutting-edge defense products, including the world's smallest anti-jamming CNSS System, telemetry, flight termination, and electronic warfare-related products.

Can Gursoy, an official of Meteksan – one the largest defense industry companies in Turkiye – told Anadolu Agency that local and foreign visitors have shown interest in the company’s products, particularly the radar systems, perimeter surveillance systems, laser and electro-optic systems, and communication systems.

The company also develops underwater acoustic systems and simulators, he added.