Motorbike Attack Training Fails To Reduce Its Lethality For Russian Drivers

Desperate to try to stay on the attack despite shortages of men and vehicles which have led to repeated failure, Russian forces are becoming more reliant on dirt bike and golf cart attacks for which they are attempting to provide training. 

The problem is that no amount of planning and practice can make up for the inherent vulnerability  of unarmored assaults on battlefield commanded by Ukrainian drones and artillery. Suicide 101. JL

David Axe reports in Forbes:

As the Russian military runs low on armored vehicles and increasingly turns to civilian vehicles - notably, golf carts and motorcycles- motorcycle instruction is a routine part of its training regimen. (But) don’t expect the training to significantly extend the shockingly short life-expectancy of Russian bike troops. Unarmed and lacking in protection, bikes tend to get their riders killed in direct assaults. The bikes haven’t worked very well in actual combat. Ukrainian mines and drones are too thick in the air and under the ground for even the nimblest biker to avoid.

As the Russian military runs low on purpose-made armored vehicles and increasingly turns to civilian vehicles—most notably, golf carts and motorcycles—one Russian army brigade is making motorcycle instruction a routine part of its training regimen.“The motorcycle school is real,” one Russian blogger wrote in a recent post about the 5th Donetsk Brigade, which fights in and around the town of Krasnohorivka in eastern Ukraine. Estonian analyst War Translated helpfully translated the post into English.

Don’t expect the training to significantly extend the shockingly short life-expectancy of Russian bike troops. Unarmed and lacking in protection, bikes tend to get their riders killed when deployed in direct assaults on enemy positions.

The Russians began assigning large numbers of Chinese and Belarusian dirt bikes to front-line troops back in the spring. The bikes, along with Chinese Desertcross all-terrain vehicles—golf carts, effectively—are helping mitigate growing shortages of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles as Russia’s wider war on Ukraine grinds toward its 29th month and vehicle losses deepen.

The Russians have written off more than 16,000 armored vehicles and other heavy weapons in Ukraine. That’s more heavy equipment than many armies have in their entire inventories.

The bike troops’ assault tactics are simple. They ride as fast as possible across the mine-strewn no-man’s-land separating Russian and Ukrainian lines, hoping their mounts’ small size and high speed will help them avoid detection by Ukrainian drones.

If they manage to cross the mine and drone zone, they ditch their bikes and fight on foot. “A new military specialty is appearing,” a second blogger wrote. “Motorized rifleman.”

 

But the bike tactics, while sound in theory, haven’t worked very well in the heat and stress of actual combat. Ukrainian mines and drones are everywhere—too thick in the air and under the ground for even the nimblest biker to avoid.

According to data from analyst Andrew Perpetua, the Russians lost—destroyed, damaged or abandoned—at least 18 motorcycles in April, 80 in May and 55 in June. During one Russian assault around Vuhledar on June 28, Ukrainian mines, drones, artillery and missiles knocked out at least 19 dirt bikes, killing or maiming many riders.

Golf cart losses have been only slightly lighter, according to Perpetua’s tally. One botched Russian attack on or around July 15 ended with five of the ATVs in flames—and their occupants dead, wounded or retreating.

The consensus among Russian forces seems to be that, if they can’t acquire enough armored vehicles and must continue equipping troops with golf carts and bikes, they should at least try to improve their tactics.

The 5th Donetsk Brigade seems to be the first to set up a school for this purpose. “The 5th Brigade and its motorcycle school are awesome,” the first blogger wrote, adding that other units might copy the brigade’s reforms.

It’s possible to imagine tactical refinements that might improve the bike troops’ survivability. Better situational awareness and improved cross-country riding skills might help them avoid mines. Riding at night, while difficult even with night-vision goggles, may help them avoid drones, most of which lack infrared sensors.

 

But remember, special training didn’t help much the last time a major army sent bikers into direct combat. The German army trained a few troops for bike assaults during World War I. But the actual results in combat were “pretty tragic” for the riders, according to Ends Cuoio.

“Needless to say: the idea of deploying motorcycles for direct combat was abandoned,” Ends Cuoio noted. But not forever. More than a hundred years later, assault bikes are back—and apparently here to stay as Russian brigades formalize the training for their riders.

Even with a little more training, it’s likely the outcome for Russian bike troops will still be pretty tragic.