UK Special Forces' Unmanned Vessel Found Transmitting Signals to China; Fears of Military Intelligence Leak Prompt Criticism of Labour Government for 'Failing to Recognize Threat'

The UK's Daily Telegraph reported on the 9th that the 'K3 Scout' unmanned reconnaissance vessel used by the Royal Navy Special Forces contains third-party camera systems with Chinese-made components, which have been continuously transmitting 'heartbeat communications' (data used to confirm device connectivity) to IP addresses located within China. This national security vulnerability has forced the UK Ministry of Defence to urgently disconnect all network connections from these cameras, severely damaging the Royal Navy's 'Project Beehive' for unmanned fleet development.

The K3 Scout unmanned vessels, worth £12 million (approximately NT$490 million), are supplied by UK defence contractor Kraken Technology Group. The Royal Marines began introducing them in March this year. The K3 Scout can carry a 600kg payload and operate continuously for 30 days. The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has also procured this unmanned vessel. The K3 Scout features a modular design, enabling rapid deployment and support for multiple missions, including maritime reconnaissance, force protection, logistics support, and precision strikes.

A defence insider familiar with the matter told The Daily Telegraph that these unmanned vessels were originally scheduled to be included in deployment plans to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, with the UK military having already conducted preparatory operations for missions in the Persian Gulf. However, the source stated bluntly: 'This is a major failure in component sourcing scrutiny; we have lost confidence in this platform.'

Within the military, there are concerns not only that the facial features and training processes of personnel from the Special Boat Service (SBS) headquarters may have been spied upon, but also suspicions that the cameras may remain operational even when the unmanned vessel is powered off, allowing Chinese entities to eavesdrop on sensitive intelligence from high-ranking special forces personnel. However, the UK Ministry of Defence emphasized that the issue was discovered during routine cybersecurity vulnerability assessments and confirmed after investigation that 'there is no evidence whatsoever that the Ministry of Defence's data or systems have been accessed, leaked, or transmitted externally,' stressing that the military identified and resolved the risk at an early stage.

A spokesperson for Kraken Technology Group explained that their practices comply with the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA-compliant), noting that the third-party cameras contain a small number of components from outside the UK. After joint investigations with the Royal Navy, they are confident that no sensitive information has been leaked, and all potential vulnerabilities have now been patched.

However, the opposition Conservative Party has demanded that the Labour government immediately conduct an emergency audit of all military equipment to eliminate hidden traces of Chinese supply chains.

Alicia Kearns, the Conservative Party's Shadow National Security Minister, harshly criticized the situation: 'If we cannot say what is inside our own military equipment, we cannot claim it as our own equipment, let alone sovereignty. When cameras containing Chinese components are found recording our special forces—their faces, training, and operations—we should not be surprised; we should be angry that we have not yet woken up to the reality of the threat.'

The Daily Telegraph pointed out that while the Labour government is striving to ease relations with China, the threat from China is intensifying. Last year, the UK's MI5 issued a security alert warning that Chinese intelligence agencies are using platforms like LinkedIn to 'interfere with' and 'influence' the UK Parliament in an attempt to obtain sensitive information. Not long before, two men—one of them a parliamentary researcher—were charged with espionage on behalf of China, but the case was dropped because the Labour government refused to designate Beijing as an enemy.

The Daily Telegraph noted that the Conservative government banned Huawei from participating in the UK's 5G network construction in 2020. A series of supply chain vulnerabilities have forced the UK Ministry of Defence to remove Chinese-made hardware and cameras from sensitive areas. However, the Labour government has restarted diplomatic relations with Beijing through a series of visits to China, hoping to secure lucrative trade agreements. Earlier this year, despite concerns over sensitive communication lines near the Royal Mint Court in central London, the UK government still approved the establishment of a Chinese embassy in the city centre. This K3 Scout incident highlights that even though the UK government has invested £5 billion to encourage defence innovation and promotes 'Buy British', the underlying defence supply chain still struggles to escape its dependence on Chinese components.