MOSCOW (REUTERS) - Russia has begun building a prototype of its first stealth bomber which should be completed next year, the state-controlled Tass news agency reported on Tuesday (May 26), citing two sources in the military-industrial complex.

When completed and operational, the new plane will be able to carry an array of advanced missiles and bombs, including hypersonic weapons, Tass said.

The aircraft, known as the PAK DA, will compete with the US B-2 strategic stealth bomber which entered service in 1997.

China is also developing its own stealth bomber - the Xian H-20.

Russia has already developed its own stealth fighter, the Sukhoi-57.

It first flew in 2010 but has yet to be manufactured in large numbers.