At SAHA 2026 International Defence, Aerospace and Space Industry Fair, the United Arab Emirates highlighted its growing ambitions to expand the global reach of its defence industry and deepen international industrial cooperation. In this exclusive interview with Defence Turkey, H.E. Khalifa Ayada Al Hameli, Executive Director, Strategy and Executive Affairs - Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement, discusses the strategic significance of SAHA 2026 for the UAE defence ecosystem, Tawazun Council’s long-term partnership objectives, and the role of IDEX 2027 and NAVDEX 2027 in positioning the UAE as a global hub for defence innovation, industrial collaboration, and strategic dialogue.
Defence Turkey: How does Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement assess the strategic importance of SAHA 2026 for expanding the international footprint of the UAE defence industry, particularly in the Turkish and broader regional markets?
H.E. Khalifa Ayada Al Hameli: Our presence at SAHA 2026 reflects a broader strategic objective: strengthening the international positioning of the UAE’s defence industry while advancing the long-term resilience and competitiveness of the national defence ecosystem.
Platforms such as Saha Expo provide an important platform for strengthening industrial connectivity and expanding strategic access to regional and international markets. They also create opportunities to demonstrate the growing maturity of the UAE’s defence-industrial base and the depth of capabilities being developed across the national ecosystem.
As a key national enabler, our focus is to ensure that such engagements translate into tangible long-term outcomes supporting industrial localisation, expanding access to global value chains, and advancing the sovereign capabilities required to meet future national defence and security priorities.
Defence Turkey: The UAE Pavilion hosted numerous high-level delegations and conducted dozens of business meetings during the exhibition. What kinds of long-term strategic partnerships or collaborative programs is Tawazun aiming to secure through these engagements?
H.E. Khalifa Ayada Al Hameli: These engagements are viewed as part of a broader long-term strategic effort to create enabling conditions for sustainable industrial growth and national capability development.
One of our priorities is to foster partnerships that strengthen industrial capacity, deepen knowledge transfer, enhance supply-chain resilience, and create pathways for greater integration of UAE entities into global defence value chains. We are particularly focused on collaborations that support advanced manufacturing, technology absorption, and long-term capability-building.
Beyond immediate outcomes, these engagements help build trusted relationships, strategic alignment, and enduring frameworks for future cooperation, all of which are essential to advancing a resilient, future-ready defence ecosystem.
Defence Turkey: The UAE Pavilion is also promoting future editions of IDEX 2027 and NAVDEX 2027. What role do these exhibitions play in strengthening the UAE’s position as a global hub for defence innovation, industrial cooperation, and strategic dialogue?
H.E. Khalifa Ayada Al Hameli: IDEX and NAVDEX are recognised as premier global platforms within the international defence ecosystem. Today, these exhibitions go far beyond showcasing products and technologies. They serve as influential forums where nations demonstrate the depth of their industrial capabilities, highlight technological advancement, and communicate their long-term strategic vision for defence and security.
IDEX and NAVDEX have firmly established themselves among the world’s leading specialised defence exhibitions and as two of the most important defence platforms in the region. Their continued growth reflects the confidence the international defence community places in the UAE as a trusted convening platform for strategic engagement, industrial cooperation, and forward-looking dialogue.
