S8 Ep602: 2. Guest Captain James Fanell analyzes China’s new AR2000 shipborne drone, describing it as a propaganda tool and signaling maneuver. He compares it to retired U.S. technology, noting potential operational difficulties for China. (3)
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 18 March 2026
⏱️ 9 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
2. Guest Captain James Fanell analyzes China’s new AR2000 shipborne drone, describing it as a propaganda tool and signaling maneuver. He compares it to retired U.S. technology, noting potential operational difficulties for China. (3)
1903 TEXAS
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I'm John Bachelor, Gordon Chang, at Gordon G. Chang, my colleague and co-host, and we're headed to the South China Sea. |
| 0:21.7 | Yes, the critical decisions are being made about the straight of our moves right now, but the |
| 0:27.0 | South China Sea has been a battlefield and will be again. And we welcome Captain James Fennell, |
| 0:34.0 | Jim Fennell, United States Navy retired intelligence officer to help us understand a new headline |
| 0:39.1 | out of the South China Morning Post reminding all of us. The South China Morning Post is heavily |
| 0:44.8 | influenced by the Chinese Communist Party and its propaganda apparatus. So, not everything is |
| 0:53.1 | accurate, however, it is suggestive. |
| 0:56.1 | And the headline, could the PLA's new shipborne drone redefine naval operations in the South China Sea? |
| 1:06.8 | Jim, a very good day to you. |
| 1:08.3 | I've learned that a rhetorical question is its own answer. |
| 1:12.4 | This is very suggestive of a unit that is without an unmanned unit that is for either surveillance or war fighting. |
| 1:22.4 | It's a puzzle to me. You've looked at this South China Morning Post report. |
| 1:27.0 | Why do they want us to know about this? |
| 1:28.5 | What are they telling us? |
| 1:29.8 | Good day, to you, Jim. |
| 1:31.7 | Well, good day, John and Gordon. |
| 1:33.8 | I think the South China Morning Post has a pattern of reporting on new technological advances. |
| 1:41.3 | It's one of the things that they're, one of their propaganda, I would say, |
| 1:45.0 | propaganda aims that they're implementing for the Chinese Communist Party is to talk about new |
| 1:49.6 | technology frequently. And so now they're talking about this unmanned aerial vehicle. It's |
| 1:55.2 | basically, it's called the AR 2000. It is based on the Z20 helicopter, a manned helicopter that the Chinese have that they use |
| 2:04.2 | on board their warships. And so there was an image of this new unmanned vehicle, unmanned |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John Batchelor, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of John Batchelor and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.