South Africa’s RDM to Start Production of LongClaw Anti-Drone Glide Bomb in 2027

Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM), the South African ammunition maker jointly owned by Germany’s Rheinmetall and state-owned Denel, plans to open a dedicated production line for its new LongClaw glide bomb in the second half of 2027, according to CEO Maximilian Froch. The weapon, designed from the outset in South Africa, is a 7.5-kilogram, GPS-guided glide munition aimed primarily at arming drones rather than crewed strike aircraft.

What Happened

Froch disclosed the production timeline in an interview with South African trade outlet DefenceWeb, published October 2, 2026. He said small quantities of LongClaw are already being hand-assembled, and the weapon has been evaluated on several unmanned platforms in recent months ahead of the planned move to a dedicated line. A mock-up of the munition was shown publicly for the first time at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2026 exhibition at Air Force Base Waterkloof near Pretoria, held September 16-20, 2026, where it appeared mounted on two South African-made drones from Paramount Group: the V-Raven vertical-takeoff-and-landing UAV and the Mwari surveillance and light-attack aircraft.

No contract, customer order or government funding commitment has been announced for the production line itself; what RDM has confirmed is an internal company plan and timeline, not a signed deal. The 2027 date, the specifications below and the quotes in this article all trace to the same DefenceWeb interview, which was independently picked up and corroborated in its factual details by Military Africa, EDR Magazine and other defense-trade outlets in the days that followed.

The Product/System

According to RDM’s published data sheet, LongClaw weighs 7.5 kg in total, carries a 3 kg pre-fragmented warhead, measures 88 cm in length, and has a stated lethal radius of about 30 meters. It is GPS-guided and glides at a ratio of roughly 3.7:1, giving it a range of approximately 15 km when released from an altitude of about 4.9 km, somewhat less than the glide ratio alone would suggest, which RDM attributes to energy spent on in-flight steering.

Development began in early 2025. Froch said the munition was developed as an indigenous program: “We have tried to have the most indigenous solution possible,” he told DefenceWeb, adding that most of LongClaw’s components will be manufactured locally in South Africa. RDM intends to continue developing the weapon after production begins, with plans for a range of interchangeable warheads and improved guidance over time.

RDM is the South African subsidiary formed in 2008 when several divisions of Denel, Somchem, Swartklip, Boksburg and Naschem, were folded into the Rheinmetall Group. Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH holds 51% of the joint venture, with Denel retaining the remaining 49%. RDM’s production sites are located in Somerset West, Boksburg, Wellington and Boskop near Potchefstroom. The company’s core business is ammunition, 155mm artillery shells, mortar rounds, tank ammunition and aircraft bombs, and more than 90% of its sales go to customers outside South Africa, chiefly in Europe, which RDM says gives it an established sales channel through which to market LongClaw internationally once production begins.

Who Uses It

LongClaw has no confirmed operator yet. It remains in the development and small-batch hand-assembly stage, with evaluation flights conducted on unmanned platforms but no disclosed operational deployment. RDM is actively pitching the weapon to South Africa’s own military, the SANDF, which the company says is expanding its drone fleet, though no SANDF order has been announced. The weapon has also not been certified or integrated on any specific platform as a program of record; the AAD 2026 display pairing LongClaw mock-ups with Paramount’s V-Raven and Mwari drones demonstrates compatibility concepts rather than a confirmed integration contract.

Export/Procurement History

Any export sale of LongClaw will require approval from South Africa’s National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), the body that vets all foreign arms transfers from the country. RDM has not yet sought or received such approval for LongClaw specifically, since the weapon is not yet in production. The company’s broader export track record is substantial, RDM ships the large majority of its ammunition output abroad, but that history applies to its established artillery and tank-ammunition lines rather than to LongClaw, which has no sales history of its own.

Global Competitors

LongClaw enters a crowded and fast-growing category of small, drone-deployable precision glide munitions, driven largely by lessons from the war in Ukraine, where both sides have fielded increasingly capable glide bombs and loitering munitions. Comparable systems include the United States’ GBU-39/GBU-53 small-diameter bomb family (designed for larger strike aircraft but with ground- and air-launched variants in development), India’s DRDO-developed Gaurav long-range glide bomb, and various Russian UMPK-style glide kits fitted to standard aerial bombs. China has also fielded drone-launched glide bombs with ranges reported up to roughly 65 km, positioning LongClaw, at a shorter 15 km range, more as a lightweight, drone-portable tactical weapon than a strategic strike system. Within South Africa itself, LongClaw follows earlier Denel Dynamics glide munitions such as the retired Raptor (H-2) and the still-marketed Umbani glide-bomb conversion kit, and RDM’s domestic competitor Incomar also displayed drone-launched munitions at AAD 2026, suggesting a broader South African push into this weapons category.

Why It Matters

LongClaw is notable less for raw performance than for what it signals about where South Africa’s defense-industrial base is placing its bets. Designed specifically for drones rather than retrofitted from an existing crewed-aircraft weapon, it reflects a wider industry shift, also visible in Ukraine, Russia, China and India’s recent programs, toward treating small, GPS-guided glide munitions as a core drone payload rather than a specialty item. For RDM and Denel, a successful indigenous program also serves an industrial-policy purpose: Froch’s emphasis on local design and local component sourcing speaks to South Africa’s long-standing interest in retaining and expanding sovereign capability within a joint venture majority-owned by a foreign parent. For armed forces more broadly, including potential African and European customers within RDM’s existing sales network, a sub-10-kilogram precision glide bomb that smaller tactical and surveillance drones can carry, rather than only larger strike-capable UCAVs, would meaningfully widen the pool of platforms able to deliver precision fires.

What Happens Next

The near-term milestones to watch are whether RDM’s second-half-2027 production target holds, whether the SANDF places an order or formally evaluates LongClaw, and which drone platform, Paramount’s V-Raven, its Mwari, or another type, becomes the first cleared to carry the weapon operationally. Any export sale will also depend on NCACC approval, which has not yet been sought for a weapon still in pre-production testing.

FAQ

What is the LongClaw glide bomb?
LongClaw is a 7.5 kg, GPS-guided glide bomb developed by Rheinmetall Denel Munition in South Africa, designed mainly to be carried and released by drones rather than crewed aircraft.

When will LongClaw enter production?
RDM CEO Maximilian Froch says the company plans to start a dedicated production line in the second half of 2027. Small quantities are currently assembled by hand for testing.

What is LongClaw’s range?
RDM’s data sheet lists a range of approximately 15 km when released from an altitude of about 4.9 km, with a glide ratio of 3.7:1.

Who owns Rheinmetall Denel Munition?
RDM is a joint venture in which Germany’s Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH holds 51% and South Africa’s state-owned Denel holds 49%.

Has any country or military ordered LongClaw?
No order has been announced. RDM is pitching the weapon to South Africa’s SANDF and plans to market it internationally once production begins, subject to South African export approval.

Internal Links

Sources

Jonathan Katzenellenbogen, “RDM to start LongClaw glide bomb production line in second half of 2027,” DefenceWeb, October 2, 2026, primary interview with RDM CEO Maximilian Froch; source for timeline, quotes and specifications. defenceweb.co.za
Ekene Lionel, “RDM to Start LongClaw Glide Bomb Production in Late 2027,” Military Africa, November 3, 2026, corroborating report with additional detail on platform integration and AAD 2026 context. military.africa
Rheinmetall, “LongClaw: next generation smart glide bomb” product data sheet, manufacturer specifications for weight, warhead, range and guidance. rheinmetall.com
Denel, “Denel Takes Its Place on the AAD 2026 Stage,” context on Denel’s participation at AAD 2026 and the RDM/Denel ownership relationship. denel.co.za