Rheinmetall Denel Munition, known as RDM, expects to start a production line for its LongClaw glide bomb in the second half of 2027, according to its chief executive, Maximilian Froch.
The weapon weighs 7.5 kilograms and carries a 3-kilogram warhead. RDM says it can travel about 15 kilometres when released from an altitude of roughly 4.9 kilometres. That range describes a particular release condition- it is not a fixed distance the bomb would travel from every altitude.
LongClaw is designed chiefly for unmanned aircraft. Unlike a drone that flies into its target, it is a separate weapon released by an aircraft. Its wings allow it to glide towards a target, while a satellite-based system guides it.
RDM says small quantities are already being assembled manually and that the weapon has undergone evaluation on several drone platforms. The company has not announced that a full production line is operating, nor has it identified a confirmed buyer.
He said LongClaw was designed entirely in South Africa and that most of its components would be made locally. “We have tried to have the most indigenous solution possible,” he said.
A South African design in a German group’s portfolio
RDM is a South African company jointly owned by Rheinmetall’s German ammunition business, which holds 51%, and South African state defence company Denel, which holds the remainder.
That makes the production plan significant for South Africa’s defence industry. A locally designed weapon could be manufactured through a company with established international sales channels, though that does not guarantee export orders.
RDM says it is also trying to interest the South African National Defence Force in LongClaw. Froch told DefenceWeb that international sales would require approval from South Africa’s arms export authorities. Neither domestic procurement nor an overseas sale was announced.
Mock-ups of the bomb were displayed on two South African aircraft designs at September’s Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition, Paramount’s V-Raven drone and its Mwari aircraft. A display showing how a weapon could be carried should not be mistaken for confirmation that either aircraft has entered service with LongClaw.
For now, LongClaw’s confirmed position is narrower than a completed military upgrade: it is a South African designed weapon undergoing development and evaluation, with a production line planned for next year.
Source: africa.businessinsider.com
