I read something like that too. They need to be refitted to allow then to be used on the new aircraft carriers being built. Renamed to 'Lightning II' in the UK by the time it enters service in 2018. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26124894
If you are interested to learn more about this neat plane, there was a program on the history channel called Wings of the Red Star and it features many Soviet warplanes. The tu-95 is featured on one of the episodes and they are all narrated by Sir Peter Ustinov which make them enjoyable to listen to as well. I believe this is still the world's fastest prop-driven aircraft, and probably always will be since prop plane tech is probably not going to do a whole lot more advancement.
Isn't it also the loudest plane ever built due to the counter rotating props? Either way, it's a gorgeous looking thing.
Found this video on Youtube showing how loud this plane is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-2dfEc70gU
You have twice as many blades as a standard single direction propeller has so that adds to the noise. I think there are some Rolls Royce plane engines from WW2 that had the contra-rotating design. Another reason it is so loud is because when the plane is at full power, the tips of the props are at Mach speeds, so that generates a certain amount of noise. I would doubt they were at full speed in that video. It is a 10,000 or 15,000 horsepower engine, if I remember correctly. There is a large section about the engine in the Wings of the Red Star video.
I also watched the Discovery Wings documentary you talked about. Great watch. Communist states always seem to steal designs from everyone else..... Wings Of The Red Star: Tu-95! The Nuclear Bear!: http://youtu.be/ubw-XZd7aaM
