Türkiye Bans Foreign EVs From Major Defense Facilities over Security Risks

Türkiye’s ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, HAVELSAN and TEI have banned foreign electric vehicles from their facilities over concerns that onboard cameras, sensors and software could compromise sensitive military technology and infrastructure.

Mahmut Faruk Akşit, general manager of TUSAŞ Engine Industries (TEI), said ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, HAVELSAN and TEI had introduced the restrictions because they could not independently control the systems installed in foreign-made vehicles.

Speaking at a conference organized by Pamukkale University in Denizli, Akşit said domestically manufactured electric vehicles remained permitted because their software and control systems were under Turkish control.

Foreign Vehicle Sensors Raise Surveillance Concern

Akşit warned that the growing number of cameras and sensors in electric vehicles could allow manufacturers or other external parties to collect detailed information about defense installations.

He said the four companies had stopped allowing foreign electric cars onto their campuses because the vehicles could potentially map sensitive areas without the operators' knowledge.

"We, as Türkiye — ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, HAVELSAN and TEI — no longer allow foreign electric cars onto our campuses. They have too many sensors, cameras and other systems that map the surroundings, and we do not control them," Akşit said.

"We allow domestic ones because we control both the software and the systems."

The distinction, he argued, was not simply where a vehicle was manufactured but who retained authority over its digital systems.

Remote-Control Risks in Wartime

Akşit also raised concerns about the potential military exploitation of connected and autonomous vehicles.

He warned that software vulnerabilities or external control mechanisms could allow vehicles to be redirected against sensitive installations, particularly during armed conflict.

"When you run war simulations with artificial intelligence, it almost always uses cars as missiles," he said. "It uses them as ground-based guided missiles. It takes control of the vehicle and crashes it into the entrance of a military unit."

The TEI chief said the ability to modify or replace software was essential to maintaining security.

Where that control rested with an external manufacturer or operator, he argued, the vehicle's owner could be left unable to prevent unauthorized actions.

His remarks described potential threats rather than any confirmed incident involving a foreign electric vehicle.

TEI Keeps Sensitive Systems Offline

Akşit said TEI had adopted additional measures to protect critical defense information, including physically separating sensitive computer systems from the internet.

He argued that conventional cybersecurity safeguards, including strong passwords, were insufficient to eliminate risks associated with connected devices.

Vehicles equipped with cameras, intelligent software and remote connectivity required particular scrutiny because their digital capabilities could create additional points of vulnerability, he said.

Akşit characterized the warnings as his personal assessment, emphasizing the need to account for security risks as artificial intelligence and connected technologies become more widely used.