• The discovery: A routine cyber vulnerability assessment found third-party camera components on Royal Navy Kraken K3 Scout USVs sending "heartbeat communications" to a Chinese IP address, prompting the MoD to strip internet connectivity from the cameras. The MoD says no data or systems were compromised.

  • The fallout: The £12m ($16.2m) K3 fleet, operated by 47 Commando and the Coastal Forces Squadron since March, had prepared for a Persian Gulf deployment now in doubt; a source told The Telegraph "we have lost confidence in the platform." Kraken says an audit found no sensitive data leaked and the vulnerability is closed.

  • The wider context: Shadow security minister Alicia Kearns called it "the predictable price of our dependence on Chinese components," citing Chinese law obligating firms to assist intelligence services. It lands awkwardly alongside the new Defence Investment Plan, which commits over £5bn to drones and leans heavily on the K3 Scout via Project Beehive.