[Cboldt]

IRON EAGLE transposes to EAGER LION.
Each has exactly the same 9 letters ...

1 x A
2 x E
1 x G
1 x I
1 x L
1 x N
1 x O
1 x R

[smoky415]

Yet Q said that the R = 18

IRON EAGLE vs. EAGER LION 18

That make 2 R’s in EAGLE LION 18, which cannot be since there was only 1 to begin with.

[Steven W.]

I saw a post elsewhere where an anon extrapolated that there are anagrams throughout “Q” and thus “IRON EAGLE” was derived from “EAGER LION” - rather, I think, the mission name was chosen to match, not the other way around (if that makes sense). Regardless it shows a circular + reinforcing connection between the entities and terminology involved.