Cameras on Chinese-Made Drones Used by UK Royal Navy Secretly Sent Data to China

Chinese-made surveillance drones used by the U.K.’s elite special forces were found to have cameras that secretly sent data to China.

Cameras fitted to K3 Scout surveillance drones used by the U.K. Royal Navy were discovered to be sending information to a system or device located in China, according to a report by The Telegraph of London. The cameras fitted to the K3 Scout drones contained components made in China.

The Telegraph reports that the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) were forced to remove the drones’ internet connectivity after discovering that information was being sent to a Chinese IP address. The Royal Navy has purchased 20 K3 drones for its Operation Beehive project, under which they are intended for tasks including surveillance and force protection. The drones had been used by U.K. special forces since March and were sourced from a third party by defense contractor Kraken Technology Group.

An MoD spokesperson says the issue was identified during a “routine cyber vulnerability assessment” and that a thorough investigation found no evidence that MoD data or systems had been accessed, compromised, or transmitted externally. The investigation found that the cameras had been sending “heartbeat communications,” which are used to confirm that a device is functioning normally for anyone monitoring it.

“A thorough investigation found no evidence of MoD data or systems being accessed, compromised or transmitted externally,” the spokesperson tells The Telegraph.

While the transmissions reportedly only confirmed the cameras’ online status and normal functioning, the discovery has raised wider concerns about the security of components used in the U.K.’s military drones and other defense equipment. It comes amid years of warnings from U.K. officials about potential security risks posed by China and concerns that Chinese-made technology could be used to gather information about Western military capabilities.

The news follows reports last week that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering expanding its existing restrictions on new DJI drones to also cover drones already available on the U.S. market. The FCC says it wants to “secure the drone supply chain” by preventing the sale of drones equipped with military technology.

Lawmakers from both major U.S. political parties have raised concerns about whether Chinese drone maker DJI could provide data to the Chinese government, although the U.S. government has not publicly provided evidence that the company has done so. DJI has denied sharing user data with the Chinese government and says it stores such data in the U.S.

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