PLA 18 Sorties June 3 — 14 of 18 Cross Median Line into Northern + SW ADIZ; 8 PLAN Vessels + 6 Ships; Post-Zero-Crossing Re-Escalation

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense detected 18 PLA aircraft sorties in the 24-hour window ending at 06:00 local time (UTC+8) on June 3, 2026 — a sharp re-escalation from June 2's zero-crossing day (7 sorties, all SW ADIZ, no median crossings). Fourteen of the 18 sorties crossed the Taiwan Strait median line into the northern and southwestern ADIZ sectors. Eight PLAN vessels and 6 official ships operated around Taiwan, with official ship count rising from 5 on June 2. The surge follows the established PLA spike-then-pullback oscillating pattern: June 2 (7 sorties, 0 crossings) served as the 'quiet' day before the June 3 re-escalation. The 14/18 (78%) median line crossing rate is the highest since May 30's 44% (7/16). This re-escalation comes after Taiwan's HIMARS NT$800M down payment was confirmed met on May 31 (Executive Yuan emergency reserve backstop); the NT$8.81B FY2026 special procurement budget passed without opposition May 29. US FMS pause for Operation Epic Fury (Iran) remains active; $14B PAC-3/NASAMS package remains 'in abeyance.' Extended sortie sequence: ...→16→1→8→7→18. ROC Armed Forces deployed CAP aircraft, naval vessels, and coastal missile systems in response.