American fighter jets flew over the South China Sea during a military drill with the Philippines.

Personnel from Marine Fighting Squadron 323 conducted routine training as part of Exercise Balikatan 25, which took place during the joint annual training between the US military and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Stunning footage shows the aircraft flying side-by-side above the West Philippine Sea - the part of the South China Sea within Philippine territory - on May 3.

Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise aimed at strengthening the alliance, improving combined capabilities, and demonstrating a commitment to regional security.

The drill occurred amid China's sweeping territorial claims over the South China Sea.

Expansionist China currently lays claim over almost the entire maritime region, 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.