Greece knows it needs to upgrade its air force to face the Turkish challenge.
Greece initially approached the US to look into purchasing new F-35s, which would no doubt put it one notch above the threatening Turkish Air Force but when it became clear that the Greeks had yet to show they could pay for the deal, the Americans "cooled down", dragged their feet, and did not bring The F-35 deal to the table.
The Greeks who understood where things were going went to check with the French if they could buy the advanced Raphael planes but even there the financial issue torpedoed the deal.
President Macron, who has long helped Greece meet the Turkish challenge, decided to carry out an interesting political-business "whirlpool".
He authorized France to sell to the Greek Air Force new Raphael aircraft but the first shipment would be only of used fighter jets of the previous generation. The total deal in question is more than $2 billion.
In other words, when France sees the first payments flowing, it will make it possible to carry out the second phase, in which modern aircraft will also be provided.