UK naval drones had components that secretly transmitted data to China

Published August 10, 2026 2:35pm ET | Updated August 10, 2026 2:35pm ET



Cameras on the Royal Navy’s sea drones contained components that reportedly sent communications to an IP address in China, the Telegraph reported on Sunday.

The U.K.’s Royal Marines have been using the fleet of K3 Scout surveillance drones, made by Kraken Technology Group, since March. The cameras on the surface vessel drone contained Chinese-made components that had been transmitting “heartbeat communications.”

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