UK disconnects Royal Navy drone cameras found sending signals to China

Discovery and response

The UK Ministry of Defence disconnected all internet connections from cameras mounted on Royal Navy K3 Scout drone boats after a routine cybersecurity assessment found the cameras transmitting "heartbeat" signals to an IP address in China. The Telegraph first reported the story on 9 August 2026. The £12 million (approximately €14 million) fleet, supplied by British defence company Kraken Technology Group, has been in service since March 2026 and is operated by the Coastal Forces Squadron and Unit 47 Commando of the Royal Marines.

The heartbeat communications are data packets confirming that a device is online and functioning normally. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the vulnerability was identified during a routine cyber-vulnerability assessment of a subsystem on a Kraken unmanned surface vessel, and that a thorough investigation found no evidence that ministry data or systems were accessed, compromised, or transmitted externally.

Chinese components in a British product

Kraken Technology Group confirmed that cameras from a third-party supplier contained a small number of components manufactured outside the United Kingdom. The supplier had provided assurances that the cameras met security requirements, including standards under the US National Defense Authorization Act, which restricts certain Chinese-made surveillance and telecommunications equipment in federal procurement. Kraken said it conducted a full audit with the Royal Navy after the discovery and closed all possible vulnerabilities.

The K3 Scout can carry a payload of 600 kg and operate continuously for up to 30 days. The US Special Operations Command also ordered the drones, and they were tested by NATO in the Baltic Sea, including at the port of Gdynia during exercise BALTOPS 2026.

Security concerns and criticism

A source familiar with the matter told The Telegraph that the K3 drones were part of a proposed British package to protect freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The source described the situation as a serious failure in verifying component origins and said confidence in the platform had been lost.

Concerns were raised that the drones operated near sensitive meetings involving senior special forces officials, and that cameras may have remained active even after the drones were powered down. The Telegraph reported particular worry about potential exposure of cleared personnel at the Special Boat Service headquarters in Poole, Dorset.

Conservative security politician Alicia Kearns criticised the government:

If we cannot say with certainty what is in our own military equipment, then we cannot say that it belongs to us or that we are sovereign.

Broader context

In June 2025, the UK government announced £5 billion (approximately €5.8 billion) for a drone technology overhaul of the armed forces, while promoting greater British procurement. The incident is a setback for that policy, as the K3 Scout boats are classified as a British product yet contained Chinese components.

The case adds to existing concerns in the UK about Chinese technology in sensitive infrastructure. In 2025, MI5 issued a warning to parliamentarians about ongoing Chinese intelligence interference efforts. In 2020, the UK banned Huawei from participating in its 5G network. Chinese-made surveillance cameras have been removed or restricted in some British public buildings, and access to certain military facilities has been limited for Chinese-made electric vehicles.