简体中文
Russia has reportedly started construction of a prototype of its first stealth bomber - which should be ready next year.
The plane will be able to carry "cruise missiles, precision bombs and hypersonic weapons", reported state-controlled news agency TASS.
It will use the "flying wing" design and have technology to reduce its visibility on radar - as well as the latest communications and "jamming equipment".
TASS said the start of production - part of a programme known as Product 80 - had been confirmed by a military source.
Building of the cockpit is also under way and the plane will be complete in 2021, according to another source quoted by the news agency.
Image:UK F-35 Lightning jets with US B-2 stealth bombers in August 2019. Pic: RAF
The aircraft will compete with America's B-2 stealth bomber, which entered service in 1997.
China is also working on a stealth bomber, the Xian H-20, with speculation it could be unveiled at an airshow in November
Russia already has a stealth fighter, the Sukhoi-57, which first flew 10 years ago but has not been built in large numbers.
The UK has a 1,200mph stealth fighter, the American-made
F-35B Lightning
, which the RAF first deployed in 2018 and can "operate undetected in hostile airspace".
Stealth planes can fly largely undetected because their shape - usually sharp-edged and angular - reflects radar signals away from the source.
They may also use coated panels that absorb radar energy.
