The government will modernise the country's state-run shipyards to reduce the navy's dependence on foreign suppliers as far as possible, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Friday.

The navy's ships, submarines, aircraft and on-shore centres will also be linked through a satellite-based network to prepare the force for the challenges of modern maritime warfare, he said.

"Indigenisation is a major thrust area for the Indian Navy. This will not be possible without modernisation of shipyards. We need to reduce our dependence on foreign suppliers to the extent possible," he told navy personnel on board India's sole aircraft carrier INS Viraat.

He had spent over 17 hours on it as part of his maiden 'day at sea'.

"Network-centric operations are a key result area and will be one of the main engines of the transformation that we want to bring about in maritime warfare," Antony said.

"Under this ambitious plan, all our ships, submarines, aircraft and shore operations centres will be linked through information technology, using a satellite backbone," he said.

Stating that the aim of India's defence policy is to protect and safeguard the nation's integrity and sovereignty, Antony said the policy has been 'dove-tailed' to ensure a peaceful and secure internal and external environment in which economic development can flourish.

"Much more important than war-fighting capabilities is the navy's crucial peacetime role of a powerful instrument of state policy," he said.