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The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated that there is no indication of any system or data breach following the discovery of a Chinese-made component within the Royal Navy’s newly acquired sea drones. This finding came to light during a routine cyber vulnerability assessment of the drones, where it was revealed that the cameras were transmitting a “squark”—also known as a heartbeat communication—to an IP address based in China.
A squark serves as a signal to indicate that the system is powered on and operational, but it may also convey location data. Despite this, an MoD spokesperson confirmed that a comprehensive investigation found no proof that the Ministry’s data or systems had been accessed, compromised, or shared externally. The spokesperson emphasized the MoD’s ongoing testing and assurance measures, stating, “Our assurance and testing processes are designed to identify and address potential vulnerabilities early, and we continue to undertake routine security activity across our systems and equipment.”
This situation is particularly sensitive given that, like most NATO members, the MoD bans the use of Chinese components in military hardware due to concerns about potential espionage. The K3 Scout sea drones, which were involved, are capable of remote surveillance and, according to their manufacturer, support various mission requirements, including maritime awareness, force protection, logistics, and precision strikes. Although Kraken, the supplier of the Royal Navy’s 20 K3 drones, asserted that they received security assurances, a third-party supplier of the drone cameras included components made in China.
Kraken maintains confidence that no sensitive information has been exposed. The incident, first uncovered by The Telegraph, has since been addressed. Nevertheless, it highlights the challenges faced by the defense industry in steering clear of Chinese supply chains. Despite efforts to safeguard against espionage, the sector continues to find it difficult to procure components and technologies that are both free of Chinese origin and competitively priced
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