Royal Navy K3 Scout drones found transmitting data to China

According to an exclusive investigation by The Telegraph, Royal Navy spy drones used by the elite special forces have been secretly sending data to China. The security breach was found to include the cameras on the K3 Scout surveillance drones, which have components made in China.

The Telegraph writes, “The Royal Marines have been using the £12m fleet since March, and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was forced to remove all internet connectivity from the cameras after discovering the breach.”

What is a Hybrid Navy? It's the #RoyalNavy transition to a more innovative, technologically advanced force which will see our people work seamlessly with uncrewed platforms to meet the threats and challenges of tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/bwhmKdWgV9

— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) July 30, 2026

Meanwhile, the revelation raised fears that security-cleared staff at the Special Boat Service (SBS) headquarters in Dorset could be exposed.

It adds that the development raises concerns that Beijing has been attempting to spy on the United Kingdom. The development aligns with years of warnings about spying. The UK has previously blocked Huawei’s 5G network due to spying fears, along with issuing warnings about Chinese-made cars.

No sensitive data lost

The drones were supplied by Kraken Technology Group, a major British contractor, which sourced the cameras from a third party. That third party had given assurances about the security of the cameras.

The information they were transmitting to China appears to be minimal, including “heartbeat communications.” The MoD insists there is no evidence that any sensitive data or systems were compromised or that such data was transmitted.

These confirmed that the units were online and functioning normally. The transmissions were traced to an IP address in China. There are concerns that the cameras remained active even when the drones were switched off.

Royal Navy lost confidence in Kraken’s K3 Scout drones

A source quoted by the publication stated, “This is major failure to check origins of components and we have lost confidence in the platform.”

The Royal Navy had planned to use K3 drones as part of a future defence package to help secure the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The K3 Scout is an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) — essentially a high-speed, autonomous/remote-controlled drone boat designed to perform naval missions without putting a crew aboard. Its appearance is similar to some of the Ukrainian attack drone boats in the Black Sea.

They come with a payload up to 600 kg, have a length of 8.5 metres, and an endurance of up to 30 days (depending on configuration). Series production began at Rheinmetall’s Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg in April 2026.

The UK bought 20 K3 Scouts for £12.3 million under Project Beehive, with units being introduced for the Coastal Forces Squadron and 47 Commando Royal Marines.