Ropkey Armor Museum
{{Infobox museum
|name=Ropkey Armor and Aviation Museum
|image=M1917 Tank.jpg
|caption=Six Ton Tank M1917
|pushpin_map =
|map_caption=
|coordinates =
|established=
|dissolved=
|location=Indianapolis, Indiana
|type=Military,Aviation
}}
Ropkey Armor Museum (today, known as the Ropkey Armor and Aviation Museum) is a military history museum in Indianapolis, Indiana.{{Cite web|url=http://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/1166894|title=Ropkey Armor Museum|date=January 6, 2012|publisher=Museums USA|access-date=2019-02-21}}
History
The museum is privately owned by the Ropkey family. It stemmed from the founder Fred Ropkey's interest in military history and his past career as a tank platoon leader in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1950s.{{Cite web|title=Museum History |date=28 August 2019|url=http://www.ropkeyarmormuseum.com/museum.html|publisher=Ropkey Armor Museum}} The Ropkey Armor Museum closed July 29, 2017. Afterwards, the vehicle collection was downsized. Some pieces of the collection were distributed to other museums while the core collection was relocated by the Ropkeys to Indianapolis, Indiana. The museum lives on today as the Ropkey Armor and Aviation Museum with renewed focus given to historic aircraft and aviation history.{{Cite web|url=http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/2017/08/16/military_museum_closing_triggers_memories/|title=Military museum closing triggers memories|last=Staff Reports|date=August 15, 2017|website=Daily Reporter|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-21}}{{Cite web|url=https://tankandafvnews.com/2017/08/05/ropkey-museum-shuts-down/|title=Ropkey Museum shuts down|last=Tankandafvnews|date=2017-08-06|website=Tank and AFV News|language=en|access-date=2019-04-17}}
Collection
The museum collection consists of AFVs, soft skin vehicles, marine and aircraft.
Other exhibits are soft-skin military vehicles and aircraft. The aircraft include an Antonov An-2{{Cite web
|title=Ropkey Armor Museum (An-2)
|date=27 February 2010
|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/25865234@N06/4435729666/
|publisher=Flickr
}} and the unique Bell X-14B. This aircraft was used for early research into VTOL until it was written off in a landing accident in 1981. It is currently being restored by the museum.
References
{{Reflist}}
Category:Military and war museums in Indiana
Category:Transportation museums in Indiana
Category:Museums in Marion County, Indiana
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