MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. The arrival of Pakistani aircraft at an airbase in Saudi Arabia shows that Riyadh, after years of relying on the US military umbrella, has a new security guarantor, Nikolay Gaponenko, PhD in Economics and Associate Professor of the Department of Economic Security at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), told TASS.

The Saudi Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense previously reported that Pakistani Air Force aircraft arrived at an airbase in Saudi Arabia to coordinate and enhance the operational readiness of the armed forces of the two countries. "Obviously, these are not training exercises or a gesture of goodwill, but the practical implementation of the defense agreement signed between Riyadh and Islamabad back in September 2025. Its consequences will affect absolutely everyone," the expert believes.

The document, signed between the countries on September 17, 2025, obliges any aggression against one of the countries to be considered aggression against both, Gaponenko recalled. "This is a full-fledged military alliance of a special kind. Pakistan is the only Muslim country with nuclear weapons, and Saudi Arabia, which for decades relied on the American military umbrella, now has its own ‘nuclear insurance,’" he said, noting that the "insurer" is now Islamabad, not Washington.

Currently, according to available data, between 10 and 18 combat aircraft have been deployed to Saudi Arabia, and the total number of Pakistani troops in the country could reach 13,000.

Why now?

In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has been under regular shelling, the expert noted. "Iranian drones and missiles have been striking the kingdom’s oil infrastructure. Oil production has already fallen by about 600,000 barrels per day. One of the key pipelines has lost capacity by about 700,000 barrels per day," he noted.

"For a country whose budget is 70-80% dependent on oil revenues, this isn’t just a wake-up call, but a direct blow to financial stability," the expert said.

Riyadh, according to the expert, has concluded that American protection is insufficient. "The US is increasing its presence, and only on April 11 did the seventh relay aircraft arrive at the Prince Sultan air base, and President [Donald] Trump announced the start of demining the Strait of Hormuz." However, the Saudi authorities apparently decided that relying solely on their overseas ally while Iranian missiles were falling on their territory was too risky," Gaponenko explained.

"The Pakistani military contingent is an attempt to create their own, more predictable and quickly accessible line of defense," the expert concluded.