US Air Force F22 Raptor fighter jet flies in the Philippines for Iron Blade drill

A U.S. Air Force fighter jet conducted flying exercises in a joint training with Southeast Asian ally the Philippines for the bilateral 'Iron Blade' drills.

Footage shows a Lockheed F-22 Raptor aircraft performing a fly-by and vertical climb manoeuvre at the General Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu province, the Philippines, on August 11.

Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesman Colonel Ma. Consuelo Castillo said: 'This joint exercise underscores the strong and enduring partnership between the Philippines and the United States, and their commitment to regional security and stability.'

Iron Blade is part of the United States Pacific Air Force redeployment activities, and the US Air Force contingent will later be heading to the Kadena Air Base in Japan.

Earlier, PAF also joined the three-week multilateral Pitch Black exercise in Australia, which marked the first time the Philippines sent a fighter jet to an international military drill.

Both exercises were held as the Philippines faced territorial threats from neighbouring China over parts of the South China Sea.

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.