Telegraph: Royal Navy drone cameras secretly sent 'heartbeat' signals to China IP

Published Aug 10, 08:36 AM UTC

An investigation by The Telegraph revealed that cameras mounted on Royal Navy Kraken K3 Scout unmanned surface vessels, used by special forces including the Special Boat Service, were secretly transmitting 'heartbeat' signals to an IP address in China. The Ministry of Defence discovered the issue during a routine cyber vulnerability assessment of the £12 million fleet, which entered service in March 2026. The affected drones were earmarked for a mission in the Strait of Hormuz to protect commercial shipping. The MoD stated that a thorough investigation found no evidence of sensitive data or systems being accessed or compromised, but internet connectivity to the cameras was removed as a precaution. The cameras, manufactured by Canadian company Current Scientific Corporation under its Night Navigator 3000 series, contained components sourced from outside the UK. Kraken Technology Group, the drone builder, said it had received security assurances and that vulnerabilities have been closed.