Turkish defense companies ban foreign electric vehicles

Mahmut Faruk Akşit, General Manager of TUSAŞ Motor Sanayii (TEI), has announced a security ban on foreign-made electric vehicles at the campuses of several major Turkish defense companies, including ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, and HAVELSAN.

Speaking at a conference at Pamukkale University, Akşit highlighted significant cybersecurity risks posed by autonomous and electric vehicles. He noted that these vehicles are equipped with advanced cameras, sensors, and software that can map environments and collect data, often transmitting it to overseas servers. Akşit warned that in warfare simulations, artificial intelligence can hijack vehicle controls, effectively turning them into “ground-based guided missiles.”

To mitigate these threats, the companies are restricting access to vehicles with locally controlled software and hardware. Akşit also addressed broader technological risks, such as the potential for AI to generate misinformation and the vulnerability of smart devices to cyberattacks. He emphasized that TEI utilizes air-gapped systems to protect critical information from internet-based threats.