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New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) will acquire six more midair refuelling planes to strengthen its ability to act as an "expeditionary force" while responding to natural disasters and emergencies in the region, a senior official said Monday.

Air Marshal Ajit Bhavnani, vice chief of the IAF, said plans had been firmed up to buy six more Il-78 flight refuelling jets to give the force "greater strategic reach". The IAF currently has six Il-78s purchased from Uzbekistan.

The IAF's vision for 2015 included various measures to bolster the force's capability to respond to natural disasters and contingencies both within India and outside the country, Bhavnani told a select group of journalists.

"As a nation grows in stature, the government may, for diplomatic reasons, ask the air force to help out other countries," he said.

"We are considering (the option of responding to an) out of area contingency and the use of the IAF as an expeditionary force. We have called for a study from which we will get suggestions."

The decision to boost the IAF's airlift capabilities was discussed at its commanders' conference held here last week.

The IAF's participation on a large scale in relief operations following the Dec 26 tsunami, the Mumbai floods this year and the earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir has enabled it to reduce its response time to disasters and to evolve standard operation procedures for such contingencies.

"We have reached out to other countries in the past," Bhavnani said, noting that the IAF had ferried relief materials to the Maldives and Sri Lanka after the tsunami and was also involved in UN peacekeeping missions in Sudan and Congo.

Bhavnani insisted that the IAF's proposal to enhance its strategic airlift capabilities was meant only for humanitarian purposes and was not aimed against other countries.

The IAF's ageing Russian-made An-32 medium transport aircraft would soon be upgraded. The force was also considering the possibility of acquiring other transport aircraft, including a plane currently being developed indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and the C-130 Hercules from the US, he said.

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