Ropkey Armor Museum
Encyclopedia
Ropkey Armor Museum is a military history museum in Crawfordsville, Indiana
.
The museum is privately owned by the Ropkey family. It stems from the founder Fred Ropkey's interest in military history and his past career as a Tank Platoon Leader in the US Marine Corps during the early 1950s.
The museum collection is primarily of AFV
s. These range from such rarities as a First World War M1917
to a contemporary M109
self-propelled howitzer.
Other exhibits are soft-skin military vehicles, aircraft and a Vietnam war
-era PBR
. The aircraft include an Antonov An-2
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 now being restored by the museum.
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
.
The museum is privately owned by the Ropkey family. It stems from the founder Fred Ropkey's interest in military history and his past career as a Tank Platoon Leader in the US Marine Corps during the early 1950s.
The museum collection is primarily of AFV
Armoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
s. These range from such rarities as a First World War M1917
Six Ton Tank M1917
The Six Ton Tank M1917 was a US tank, and was America's first important mass produced tank. The Six Ton Tank M1917 was a license built near-copy of the French Renault FT, and was accepted by the army in October 1918. The US Army ordered approximately 4,440 Six Ton M1917 Tanks between 1918 and...
to a contemporary M109
M109 howitzer
The M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It was upgraded a number of times to today's M109A6 Paladin...
self-propelled howitzer.
Other exhibits are soft-skin military vehicles, aircraft and a Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
-era PBR
Patrol Boat, River
Patrol Boat, River , or PBR, is the United States Navy designation for a small rigid-hulled patrol boat used in the Vietnam War from March 1966 until the end of 1971...
. The aircraft include an Antonov An-2
Antonov An-2
The Antonov An-2 is a single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed in the USSR in 1946...
and the unique Bell X-14B. This aircraft was used for early research into VTOL
VTOL
A vertical take-off and landing aircraft is one that can hover, take off and land vertically. This classification includes fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as cyclogyros/cyclocopters and tiltrotors...
until it was written off in a landing accident in 1981. It is now being restored by the museum.