Royal Navy drone sent data to China via Chinese components
An investigation found that a Royal Navy sea drone contained Chinese components that sent signals to a China-registered web address, raising security concerns.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A Royal Navy sea drone has raised security fears after an investigation found that a Chinese electronic component on board sent a so called heartbeat communication to a web address registered in China. The discovery has prompted questions about the vulnerability of British military hardware to foreign powers.
The uncrewed autonomous vessels were built by the British company Kraken and supplied to the Royal Navy. The firm had given security assurances to the Ministry of Defence. However, the cameras fitted on the drones were provided by a third party and contained Chinese components. When those cameras were switched on, they sent a short signal, described as a squawk or heartbeat, to a Chinese IP address, at least confirming that they were working.
Kraken has said it is confident that no sensitive information was shared as a result. The Ministry of Defence also stated that there is no evidence that its data or systems were breached or hacked. Defence officials did admit that the heartbeat communication occurred, but they stressed that this was not a data leak.
The case was uncovered by the MOD's own security checks, which officials described as a positive sign. However, the incident has highlighted a broader concern about the reliance of Western companies on the Chinese supply chain for electronic components. According to defence correspondent Jonathan Beale, nobody can produce such components on the same scale and as cheaply as China, and that remains a worry for the future.
The story comes as the Ministry of Defence, like many other Western governments, tries to bar Chinese components from military hardware over fears of espionage. The incident is seen as an embarrassment for the department, even though there is no evidence that any sensitive data was compromised.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| Defence officials admitted the cameras sent a heartbeat communication to a Chinese IP address when turned on. | |
| The cameras on a Royal Navy sea drone contained Chinese components. | |
| The Ministry of Defence said there was no evidence that its data or systems were breached or hacked. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC ONE West report focused on the official response from the Ministry of Defence and the supplier Kraken, while also placing the incident in the wider context of Western reliance on Chinese components. The tone was factual and explanatory, with the defence correspondent walking through the sequence of events and the potential implications for supply chains.
- “I think it is embarrassing for the Ministry of Defence because like most native countries Britain tries to bar Chinese components in their military hardware not least because of fears of espionage”
- “defence officials do admit that when those cameras were turned on it would have sent a squawk a heartbeat communication to a Chinese IP address at least saying that they were working”
- “the only positive bit of news I think out of this for the MOD is that this was revealed this potential vulnerability by their own security checks”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.