A routine cybersecurity inspection of Britain’s newest military sea drones has uncovered an unauthorised connection between camera equipment on the vessels and an internet address in China.
The discovery involved the K3 Scout, an unmanned surface vessel supplied by British defence company Kraken Technology Group and operated by the Royal Marines.
The fleet, introduced earlier this year at a reported cost of £12 million, is used for surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Investigators found that a component inside the drones’ cameras was sending periodic “heartbeat” signals to a China-based IP address.
Such signals are commonly used by connected devices to confirm that they are online and functioning, but the finding has raised serious concerns about the security of military supply chains.
The Ministry of Defence said the issue was detected during a routine cyber-vulnerability assessment and it subsequently removed the cameras’ internet connectivity and launched an investigation.
The department said there was no evidence that classified information, Ministry of Defence systems or sensitive military data had been accessed, compromised or transmitted outside the UK.
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Security questions
The incident has nonetheless embarrassed defence officials and renewed scrutiny of the use of foreign-made components in British military equipment.
The K3 Scout vessels had reportedly been used in preparations connected to possible operations in the Gulf, including efforts to protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Their proximity to facilities linked to Britain’s Special Boat Service has also prompted questions about whether the equipment could have revealed information about the vessels’ status or deployment.
However, publicly available reports have not established that surveillance footage, operational data or classified intelligence was sent to China. The confirmed transmission involved technical communications from the camera component rather than military intelligence.
Kraken Technology Group said some components used in cameras supplied by a third-party manufacturer were made outside Britain.
The company said the cameras were supplied as compliant equipment and that a joint audit with the Royal Navy had identified and closed the potential vulnerability. Kraken also said there was no evidence that sensitive information had been shared outside authorised channels.
Opposition politicians have called for an urgent review of British military equipment to determine whether other systems contain undisclosed components manufactured in China or elsewhere.
The government has defended its response, saying equipment, network and data security remain a priority, but the discovery is likely to intensify pressure on defence officials to strengthen supplier checks and impose tighter controls on network-enabled cameras, sensors and autonomous systems.
The incident is not currently being described as a confirmed espionage operation. It is, however, a significant warning about the risks hidden inside military technology and about the consequences when procurement checks fail to identify where critical components are made or where they are designed to communicate.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
