No Sensitive Data Sent To China: UK Defence Ministry On Navy Drone Scare

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has insisted there is no evidence that sensitive information was accessed or sent abroad, according to a report by the BBC.

The Royal Navy's new sea drones were found to include a Chinese-made component which sent communication to a Chinese IP address.

Craig Munro | Senior Politics Reporter Published August 10, 2026 9:57am Updated August 10, 2026 9:57am The Kraken K3 Scout high-performance Autonomous Surface Vehicle (Picture: John Keeble/Getty Images) Cameras fitted to drones that were used by the Royal Marines secretly transmitted data to China, according to reports

MoD scrambles to deny reports Royal Navy spy drones sent data to China in secret  GB News

Questions are now being asked over the UK government's bid to thaw relations with China, but Ministry of Defence officials have insisted no sensitive data was leaked

The K3 Scout drones, operated by Royal Marines, were found to be transmitting so-called 'heartbeat' communications to an IP address in China.

The £12 million fleet was supplied by British defence contractor Kraken Technology Group, which sourced the cameras from a third party that had given security assurances.