Chinese Components In Royal Navy Drones Spark Fears While Defence Ministry Denies Data Breach

Royal Navy’s new sea drones were found to contain components made in China, which sparked fears about a potential security breach; however, the U.K Ministry of Defence has clarified that there is no evidence to support this claim.

The Ministry elaborated by stating that when the drones were undergoing a cyber vulnerability check, the cameras in the drones sent a squark to a Chinese IP address.

A squark can signal when the system is switched on or working properly, but it can also reveal the location or other information.

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

The spokesperson added that their tests and other assessments can identify and address any breaches, and none have happened in this case.

However, this has been embarrassing for Britain, which, like other NATO nations, banned Chinese-made parts to being used in their military equipment over fears of espionage.

According to the supplier Kraken, the new K3 Scout sea drones can remotely survey the targeted areas, and support an array of missions like maritime awareness, force protection, logistics and precision strikes.

Royal Navy has received 20 such drones from Kraken, which assured the Government bout its security; however, a third-party supplier of the camera which has been used in the drone has used China-made parts.

Kraken has stated that it is sure that no sensitive information was shared and the issue has been addressed, with further tests planned for the drones. However, this shows the reliance on Chinese supply chains when it comes to tech and electronics.

The defence sector of many European countries still struggles to source components and materials for tech that are not from China.