GLOBAL #SECURITY AND #INTELLIGENCE #NEWS REVIEW UK military drones with Chinese cameras found sending data to Beijing: Report UK Ministry of Defence cut internet access to Royal Marines drones after their camera components were found making unauthorised connections A Royal Marines surveillance drone is pictured after a routine security check uncovered unauthorised network connections from its Chinese-made camera system. (Image/Navy Lookout)📷 FP News Desk|Aug 10, 2026, 07:30:09 IST Cameras fitted to a fleet of Royal Navy surveillance drones used by Britain’s elite spe

GLOBAL  #SECURITY AND  #INTELLIGENCE  #NEWS REVIEW

UK military drones with Chinese cameras found sending data to Beijing: Report  firstpost.com/world/uk-milit…
UK Ministry of Defence cut internet access to Royal Marines drones after their camera components were found making unauthorised connections

A Royal Marines surveillance drone is pictured after a routine security check uncovered unauthorised network connections from its Chinese-made camera system. (Image/Navy Lookout)📷
FP News Desk|Aug 10, 2026, 07:30:09 IST
Cameras fitted to a fleet of Royal Navy surveillance drones used by Britain’s elite special forces were found sending data to an internet address in China, raising concerns about security vulnerabilities in military equipment and defence supply chains.
The security breach was discovered during a routine cyber assessment of the K3 Scout drones, a £12 million ($16.2 million) fleet operated by the Royal Marines, per The Telegraph. The drones are also expected to be used in planned operations in the Persian Gulf.

Cameras made unauthorised connections

The drones were fitted with camera components manufactured in China. During the security assessment, analysts found that the camera systems were establishing outbound connections to a server located in China.

The cameras were sending automated “heartbeat” communications, small data packets designed to tell a remote server that a device is switched on and operating.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) intervened after the connections were detected and cut the cameras’ internet access to prevent further communication with the external server.

MoD says no sensitive data was compromised

The MoD said an investigation found no evidence that its data or systems had been accessed, compromised or transmitted outside the UK.

“A thorough investigation found no evidence of MoD data or systems being accessed, compromised or transmitted externally,” an MoD spokesperson said.

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UK military drones with Chinese cameras found sending data to Beijing: Report  firstpost.com/world/uk-milit…

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Aug 10, 2026