PLA 9 Sorties on May 25 — 8 Enter SW/Eastern ADIZ; 7 PLAN Vessels + 1 Official Ship; Re-Escalation From May 24 Pullback; 6 Days to HIMARS Deadline

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense detected 9 PLA aircraft sorties in the 24-hour window ending at 06:00 local time (UTC+8) on May 25, 2026 — a moderate re-escalation from the 4 sorties recorded on May 24 and consistent with PLA's established spike-then-pullback-then-rebuild oscillating pattern throughout the post-summit period. Eight of the 9 sorties entered Taiwan's ADIZ, specifically the southwestern and eastern sectors. Seven PLAN naval vessels and 1 official ship operated around Taiwan simultaneously, a slight increase from the 6 PLAN vessels of May 24. Taiwan's ROC Armed Forces dispatched combat air patrol (CAP) aircraft, naval vessels, and coastal missile systems in response as standard procedure. The May 25 uptick brings the full May 2026 sortie sequence to: 4→29→1→2→1→0→22→12→8→12→7→9→2→3→15→6→7→13→24→7→6→16→4→9. With 6 days remaining before the May 31 HIMARS payment deadline — after which the Foreign Military Sale procurement case would be automatically canceled under US law requiring an 18-month restart — Taiwan's Legislative Yuan Finance Committee commenced hearings on Monday May 25 on the NT$295 billion special procurement budget approved by Cabinet on May 20. The combined SW/Eastern ADIZ focus on May 25 contrasts with the four-sector N/C/SW/E simultaneous penetrations seen during the major surge days (May 20: 24 sorties, May 23: 16 sorties), indicating PLA is sustaining moderate pressure rather than a full blockade-rehearsal configuration as the HIMARS legislative deadline approaches.