Now Reading: China-linked cameras found in UK Navy drones
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China-linked cameras found in UK Navy drones
An investigation has found that cameras fitted to K3 Scout surveillance drones used by Britain's Royal Navy were transmitting "heartbeat communications" to an IP address in China, The Telegraph reported. The £12…
The Story in Brief
An investigation has found that cameras fitted to K3 Scout surveillance drones used by Britain's Royal Navy were transmitting "heartbeat communications" to an IP address in China, The Telegraph reported. The £12 million fleet, in use since March, was deployed near sensitive special forces meetings. The cameras were supplied by a third party to British defence contractor Kraken Technology Group, which had been assured they were secure. The Ministry of Defence removed internet connectivity from the cameras and said a thorough investigation found no evidence of data or systems being accessed or compromised. The incident has renewed fears over Chinese espionage in defence supply chains and threatens future plans for the drones in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Indian Opinion
The alarm over Chinese components in British military gear is understandable, but the panic risks missing the real problem: supply chains are global, and no country fully vets every part. The MoD says no data leaked, yet the cameras kept sending heartbeat signals to a Chinese IP. That is a failure of procurement, not just espionage. The question for India, which also buys Western defence kit, is: how deep do your own checks go?
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
