The move comes as the US has confirmed troops will be deployed to countries bordering Russia later this year for the NATO war games exercise named Defender Europe. The Russian MoD has signed a contract with the developer of the weaponry with the delivery date scheduled for 2027, according to state media. Deputy head of the department Alexey Krivoruchk said: “The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has signed all the necessary contracts to start production of the PAK-DA long-range bomber.

“Flight tests of the aircraft is scheduled for 2027.”

He added: “The characteristics of the aircraft have been agreed upon, all contract documents necessary for the production of samples have been signed, preparatory design stages are underway.”

The aircraft has a 12km operational range and is of subsonic speed.

It also has the ability to remain in the air for up to 30 hours while carrying 30 tonnes of nuclear weaponry.

The aircraft will have a maximum crew of four.

The model is expected to replace all current strategic bombers in the Russian Air Force within the next 10 years.

It comes as hours ago US President Donald Trump announced he would deploy 20,000 of his troops to Russia’s European borders this year.

The Republican sparked concerns in Moscow after the Department of Defence (DoD) confirmed US troops will be deployed near Russia’s European borders in early 2020.

President Trump’s move marks the largest deployment of US troops to Europe in 25 years in preparation for the war games exercise named Defender Europe.

The large movement of US soldiers into the European continent sparked fears in Moscow, which had to be reassured by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg that Russia is not the target of exercise.

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He continued: “NATO is a defensive alliance and this is a defensive exercise – as the name suggests.

“We do not seek confrontation with Russia, but the fact is that Russia’s recent activities have reduced stability and security, increased unpredictability, and changed the security environment.

“Our Allies Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia are marking the 30th anniversary of their freedom. They made the sovereign choice to join NATO and, at their invitation, some of the exercise activity will be held on their territory.”

Mr Stoltenberg added: “Russia has every right to feel secure within its borders, but so do our member states.”

NATO also confirmed President Trump had regularly informed Russia and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) about the upcoming military exercise.