Pasptoo, statistics can be used to reflect anything you want. From the DASA site 1999 to 2009 I make the average annual SAR callouts for Nimrod 44. I would suggest that the ARCC might well have wanted more than the 13 sorties in 2009, but that the Nimrod was unavailable for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately I couldn't see any record of the number of times they needed one but couldn't have it, hopefully they always ask officially (even when the aircraft is declared off state) to record the fact, otherwise the figures will not justify a requirement for long range SAR. It wouldn't be the first time we have shot ourselves in the foot by thinking it was helpful trying to make do with what is available, then finding out too late that decisions have been made and all we have done is paper over the cracks
and the stats don't support us.