Royal Navy Drone Camera with Chinese Components Sent Data to Beijing

A surveillance camera mounted on a Royal Navy unmanned surface vessel has been found to send data to an IP address in China, according to British authorities cited by The Telegraph. The equipment in question is the K3 Scout drone, supplied by British defence contractor Kraken Technology Group, which obtained the camera from a third-party provider that had guaranteed the device’s security. An inspection revealed the camera was transmitting ‘system health signals’ – data confirming the device was connected and functioning normally – to a Chinese IP address. The Ministry of Defence subsequently disconnected the device from the internet upon discovering the breach, though a spokesperson stated the investigation found no evidence that any critical data had been sent abroad. The Royal Navy has been using the equipment since March 2026, and the British government is including the system in a proposed defence package to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The Chinese Embassy in London previously told RIA Novosti that certain parties in the UK consistently seek to distort facts and fabricate so-called ‘espionage cases’ to smear China.