U.S. fighter jets conducted controlled aviation strikes in a joint military exercise with the Philippine army as territorial tensions mount in the South China Sea.

Video shows four U.S. F-35B Lightning II jets flying out of the Clark Air Base in Pampanga province during the Marine Aviation Support Activity (MASA 2024) drills on June 15.

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Stuart Glenn, commander of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said: 'MASA 24 offers an excellent opportunity to exchange and refine military capabilities across all domains with our Philippine allies. Our shared interest of peace, prosperity, and stability in the Indo-Pacific, guides our sustained exercises within the region.'

The U.S. is a long-time treaty ally of the Philippines, which is currently embroiled in a territorial dispute with China over parts of the South China Sea.

The war games were scheduled to be held from June 3 to 21.

Expansionist China currently lays claim over almost the entire South China Sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes. But a United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 deemed its claims groundless.

The Communist rogue state - accused of genocide for its crimes against the Uyghur population - has been steadily increasing its influence in recent years through investment in developing countries.