PLA Surges to 28 Sorties on April 26 — New Non-Exercise Peak; 18 Enter Multi-Sector ADIZ; 8 PLAN Vessels; 18 Days to Trump-Xi Summit

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported 28 PLA aircraft sorties and 8 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan as of 06:00 local time on April 26, 2026 — a dramatic 3.5× escalation from 8 sorties the previous day. Of the 28 sorties, 18 entered Taiwan's northern, central, and southwestern ADIZ sectors simultaneously — the highest non-exercise sortie count since Justice Mission-2025 (Dec 29, 2025, 130 sorties), surpassing the April 21 24-sortie surge that had set the pre-summit non-exercise peak. The 8 PLAN vessels maintain the elevated post-Liaoning maritime posture. The April 26 surge represents the steepest single-day escalation in the current pre-Trump-Xi summit pressure cycle: 2 sorties (Apr 24, post-anniversary lull) → 8 sorties (Apr 25, moderate rebound) → 28 sorties (Apr 26, new non-exercise peak). The multi-sector incursion pattern (northern, central, AND southwestern ADIZ simultaneously) matches the April 21 surge geometry and differs from the concentrated southwestern focus of the April 23 Navy anniversary spike, suggesting deliberate escalation of operational scope. Taiwan's armed forces deployed combat air patrols, naval ships, and coastal missile systems in response. With 18 days remaining before the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing (May 14-15), the 28-sortie surge signals PLA has entered an acute escalation phase — abandoning the moderate oscillating pattern of April 22-25. Analysts note the timing coincides with Taiwan Deputy FM Francois Wu's public fears about being 'on the menu' at the Trump-Xi summit (Taipei Times April 26; Bloomberg April 24) and the US House FY2027 appropriations bill released April 24 earmarking $500M in Foreign Military Financing for Taiwan — developments likely triggering a PLA demonstrative response.