The K3 Scout special-purpose unmanned boats used by the Royal Navy and elite UK units were fitted with cameras containing Chinese-made components.
As The Telegraph reports, cameras on Royal Navy drones transmitted service signals to an IP address in China.
This concerns a fleet of unmanned maritime systems worth £12 million, which the British military has been using since March 2026.
As the newspaper found, the cameras transmitted so-called “operational signals” — data confirming the device’s connection to the network and its normal functioning. The signals were sent to a device with an IP address in China.
The drones were supplied by the British defence company Kraken Technology Group, which purchased the cameras from a third-party manufacturer with assurances of their security.
The UK Ministry of Defence said there is no evidence that classified information or data on military systems was transmitted abroad. However, after the issue was discovered, the department disabled all internet connections for the cameras on these drones.
The incident raised national security concerns. In particular, there were fears that potential vulnerabilities could have put at risk staff at the Special Boat Service (SBS) headquarters in Poole, who have access to secret information.
K3 Scouts are used as part of the Royal Navy’s surface flotilla and are also operated by 47 Commando of the Royal Marines. The unmanned craft can carry up to 600 kg of payload and operate continuously for up to 30 days.
According to The Telegraph, the model has also been purchased by U.S. Special Operations Command, and the craft took part in NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea.