1
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                                       
                             Washington, DC 20549
                                       
                                  FORM 10-Q
                                       
                 Quarterly Report under Section 13 or 15 (d)
                                       
                    of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the six months ended April 30, 1996      Commission file number 0-13880
                                       
                       ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.
            (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

        Missouri                                  43-1313242
(State of Incorporation)              (IRS Employer Identification Number)

1270 North Price Road, St. Louis, Missouri                  63132
(Address of principal executive offices)                  (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number including area code: (314) 993-5880

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports
required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to
such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes  X    No     

The number of shares of the Registrant's common stock, $.01 par value,
outstanding at May 31, 1996 was 3,102,906. 































 2

                       ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.
                                       
                                    INDEX

                                                                       Page
                                                                       ----
Part I - Financial Information

 Item 1. Financial Statements (Unaudited)

  Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of April 30, 1996 
  and October 31, 1995                                                    3

  Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three 
  months and six months ended April 30, 1996 and 1995                     4

  Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the 
  six months ended April 30, 1996 and 1995                                5

  Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements                    6

 Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial 
         Condition and Results of Operations                              7

Part II - Other Information

 Items 1-6                                                                8

Signatures                                                                9

Exhibits                                                                 10






























 3
                       ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.
                    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets


                                                 April 30     October 31
                                                   1996           1995   
                                               ------------   ------------
                                               (Unaudited)
                                                        
                  ASSETS
Current Assets
 Cash                                          $    132,524   $    386,609
 Accounts receivable                              3,000,287      3,510,596
 Contracts in process and inventories            12,778,155     12,117,479
 Other current assets                               916,591        614,295
                                               ------------   ------------
   Total Current Assets                          16,827,557     16,628,979

Property, plant and equipment, less accumulated
 depreciation of $12,405,274 and $11,626,806     14,294,307     14,601,129
Intangible assets                                 1,093,299      1,219,699
Other assets                                      1,431,444      1,341,805
                                               ------------   ------------
   Total assets                                $ 33,646,607   $ 33,791,612
                                               ============   ============
  LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

Current Liabilities                            
 Notes payable                                 $    285,705   $  1,124,041
 Current maturities of long-term debt               790,491        827,371
 Accounts payable                                 7,396,237      7,702,941
 Other current liabilities                        2,279,443      2,274,919
                                               ------------   ------------
   Total Current Liabilities                     10,751,876     11,929,272

Long-term debt                                    2,392,273      2,755,157
Deferred income taxes                             2,722,059      2,722,059
ESOP guaranteed bank loan                         1,094,700      1,168,500

Shareholders' Equity
 Common stock, par value $.01 per share;
  10,000,000 shares authorized; 3,520,336
  and 3,456,961 shares issued                        35,203         34,570
 Additional paid-in capital                       8,175,312      7,917,844
 Retained earnings                               11,390,316     10,217,090
                                               ------------   ------------
                                                 19,600,831     18,169,504

 Less ESOP guaranteed bank loan                   1,094,700      1,168,500
 Less treasury stock at cost, 478,367
  and 475,835 shares                              1,820,432      1,784,380
                                               ------------   ------------
                                                 16,685,699     15,216,624
                                               ------------   ------------
   Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity  $ 33,646,607   $ 33,791,612
                                               ============   ============

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.





 4

                       ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.
                                       
                 Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
                                       
                                 (Unaudited)
                                       


                               Three Months Ended        Six Months Ended
                                    April 30                 April 30
                           ----------------------     ---------------------
                             1996         1995        1996         1995
                          ---------    ----------   ---------   ----------
                                                   
Net revenues            $ 18,923,798 $ 17,654,978 $ 35,971,371 $ 32,998,669 

Cost of revenues          15,955,531   14,795,359   30,522,716   27,935,129 
                        ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
Gross profit               2,968,267    2,859,619    5,448,655    5,063,540

Selling, general and
 administrative expense    1,623,960    1,490,492    3,159,633    2,940,515
                        ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
Income from operations     1,344,307    1,369,127    2,289,022    2,123,025

Interest expense             150,099      242,897      285,986      447,182
                        ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
Income before income
 taxes                     1,194,208    1,126,230    2,003,036    1,675,843

Income tax provision         477,000      451,000      800,000      671,000
                        ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
Net income              $    717,208 $    675,230 $  1,203,036 $  1,004,843
                        ============ ============ ============ ============
Net income per share           $ .22        $ .20        $ .37        $ .30
                        ============ ============ ============ ============ 
   


See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.























 5
                       ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.
                                       
               Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
                                       
                                 (Unaudited)



                                                  Six Months Ended
                                                      April 30        
                                             ----------------------------   
                                                 1996             1995  
                                            -------------    -------------
                                                      
From operating activities:
 Net income                                 $   1,203,036   $    1,004,843
 Depreciation and amortization                    919,214          957,059
                                            -------------   --------------
  Cash provided (used) before changes in
   operating assets and liabilities             2,122,250        1,961,902
 Net (increase) decrease in non-cash 
  current assets                                 (452,663)         465,415
 Net increase (decrease) in non-cash current   
  liabilities                                    (302,180)         126,397
 (Increase) decrease in other assets              (76,052)         200,971
                                            -------------   --------------
  Net cash provided by (used in) operating
   activities                                   1,291,355        2,754,685
                                            -------------   --------------
From investing activities:
 Additions to property, plant and equipment      (471,646)        (470,703)
 Disposals of property, plant and equipment                         73,100  
                                             -------------   --------------
  Net cash provided by (used in) investing
   activities                                    (471,646)        (397,603) 
                                            -------------   --------------
From financing activities:
 Net payments under line-of-credit 
  agreement                                      (838,336)        (957,723)
 Payments of long-term debt                      (399,764)        (733,363)
 Purchase of treasury stock                       (51,422)        (972,586)
 Exercise of stock options                        245,539            2,879
 Cash dividend                                    (29,811)            
                                            -------------   --------------
  Net cash provided by (used in) financing
   activities                                  (1,073,794)      (2,660,793)
                                            -------------   --------------
Net increase (decrease) in cash                  (254,085)        (303,711)

Cash at beginning of period                       386,609          417,748
                                            -------------   --------------
Cash at end of period                        $    132,524   $      114,037
                                           ==============   ==============


See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.






 6
                       ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.
                                       
                       Notes to Condensed Consolidated 
                       Financial Statements (Unaudited)
                                April 30, 1996

Note A - Basis of Presentation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been
prepared by the Company without audit.  In the opinion of management, all
adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for
a fair presentation have been included.  Operating results for the six
month period ended April 30, 1996 are not necessarily indicative of the
results to be expected for the entire fiscal year.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have
been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q
and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X.  Accordingly, they do not include all of
the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting
principles for complete financial statements.  For further information,
refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto
included in the Company's annual report to shareholders for the year ended
October 31, 1995.

Note B - Net Income per Share

Net income per share is based on the weighted average number of common and
common equivalent shares outstanding of 3,256,495 and 3,313,480 for the
three months ended April 30, 1996 and 1995, respectively, and 3,247,858 and
3,366,268 for the six months ended April 30, 1996 and 1995, respectively. 
Common equivalent shares represent common stock options as computed based
on the treasury stock method.  Primary and fully diluted earnings per share
are substantially the same for each of the periods presented.

Note C - Contracts in Process and Inventories

Contracts in process and inventories of Engineered Air Systems, Inc.
represent accumulated contract costs, estimated earnings thereon based upon
the percentage of completion method and contract inventories reduced by the
contract value of delivered items. Inventories of Engineered Specialty
Plastics, Inc. are valued at the lower of cost or market using the first-
in, first-out method. Contracts in process and inventories are comprised of
the following:



                                        April 30, 1996     October 31, 1995
                                       ----------------    ----------------
                                                         
Raw materials                              $2,103,554          $1,594,199
Work-in-process                                89,922             142,615
Finished goods                                392,596             368,400
Inventories substantially applicable to
 government contracts in process, less
 progress payments of $23,491,318 and
 $15,182,542                               10,192,083          10,012,265
                                          -----------         -----------
                                          $12,778,155         $12,117,479
                                          ===========         ===========




 7

                       ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.
                     Management's Discussion and Analysis
               of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Results of Operations

Revenues increased 7% in the second quarter of 1996 to $18.9 million from
$17.7 million in the second quarter of 1995, and increased 9% to $36.0
million in the first six months of 1996 from $33.0 million in the first
half of 1995.  The increase in revenues was generated primarily by the
Company's defense subsidiary, Engineered Air Systems, Inc. (Engineered
Air).  Production levels remained high at Engineered Air, driven by its
contracts for C-5 and MA-3D Flight Line Air Conditioners, Harvest Falcon
Water Distribution Systems, Army Space Heaters, Revetment Kits and Aviation
Ground Power Units.

Gross profit for the second quarter of 1996 increased $0.1 million, or 4%,
over the amount for the comparable 1995 period primarily reflecting the
increase in production volume at Engineered Air.  The gross margin for the
second quarter of 1996 was 15.7% as compared to 16.2% for the second
quarter of 1995.

Selling, general and administrative expense was $1.62 million and $1.49
million in the second quarter of 1996 and 1995, respectively.  As a percent
of net revenues, selling, general and administrative expense increased from
8.4% in the second quarter of 1995 to 8.6% in 1996.  For the six months
ended April 30, 1996, this percentage was 8.8% compared to 8.9% for the
first half of 1995.

Interest expense decreased $93,000, or 38%, in the second quarter of 1996
as compared with the second quarter of 1995. This was primarily the result
of continuing strong cash flow at Engineered Air.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

At April 30, 1996, the Company's working capital and ratio of current
assets to current liabilities were $6.1 million and 1.57 to 1 as compared
to $4.7 million and 1.39 to 1 at October 31, 1995.  As of April 30, 1996,
the Company had $5.3 million of unused credit related to its loan
agreement.

Business and Market Considerations

As of April 30, 1996, Engineered Air's funded backlog of defense orders was
$104 million compared to $82 million a year ago.  

Historically, the Company has been heavily dependent on the U.S. Government
for business. However, the Company began a plan of diversification in 1993
with the acquisition of ESP.  This acquisition has provided expansion into
the commercial marketplace.  Management intends to continue to pursue new
acquisitions and business opportunities to complement existing product
lines and provide strategic diversification.









 8
                                   PART II
                              Other Information

Items 1-5 Not applicable

Item 6 (a) Exhibits

4. (i) Registration Statement Number 33-14504 on Form S-8 dated May 22,
       1987 for the registration of 340,000 shares of Engineered Support
       Systems, Inc. common stock, $.01 par value, pursuant to the Amended
       and Restated Engineered Air Systems, Inc. Employee Equity Plan, is
       incorporated herein by reference.

  (ii) Registration Statement Number 33-36818 on Form S-8 dated October 3,
       1990, for the registration of 150,000 shares of Engineered Support
       Systems, Inc. common stock, $.01 par value, pursuant to the
       Engineered Air Systems, Inc. 1990 Stock Equity Plan, is incorporated
       herein by reference.

 (iii) Registration Statement Number 33-77340 on Form S-8 dated March 25,
       1994 for the registration of 150,000 shares of Engineered Support
       Systems, Inc. common stock, $.01 par value, pursuant to the
       Engineered Air Systems, Inc. 1991 Stock Equity Plan, is incorporated
       herein by reference.

  (iv) Registration Statement Number 33-77342 on Form S-8 dated March 25,
       1994 for the registration of 30,000 shares of Engineered Support
       Systems, Inc. common stock, $.01 par value, pursuant to the
       Engineered Support Systems, Inc. 1992 Stock Option Plan for 
       Non-employee Directors, is incorporated herein by reference.

   (v) Registration Statement Number 33-77338 on Form S-8 dated March 25,
       1994 for the registration of 150,000 shares of Engineered Support
       Systems, Inc. common stock, $.01 par value, pursuant to the
       Engineered Support Systems, Inc. 1993 Stock Option Plan, is
       incorporated herein by reference.

11. Statement Re: Computation of Net Income Per Share.

27. Statement Re: Summary Financial Information.

(b) No reports on Form 8-K were filed during the six months ended April 30,
    1996.





















 9
                                       
                                  SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                                        ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.

Date: June 14, 1996               By:     /s/ MICHAEL F. SHANAHAN SR.      
      -------------                  --------------------------------------
                                              MICHAEL F. SHANAHAN SR.
                                        Chairman of the Board, President
                                          and Chief Executive Officer



Date: June 14, 1996              By:        /s/ GARY C. GERHARDT           
      -------------                 --------------------------------------
                                                GARY C. GERHARDT
                                          Executive Vice President and
                                             Chief Financial Officer








































 10                                                                   
                                                                         
                                                                 Exhibit 11
ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.
Statement Re:  Comp    utation of Net Income Per Share



                            Three Months Ended         Six Months Ended
                                 April 30                  April 30
                       ---------------------------  -----------------------
                            1996          1995         1996        1995
                       ------------- -------------  ----------- -----------
                                                    
NET INCOME             $     717,208 $     675,230  $ 1,203,036 $ 1,004,843
                       ============= =============  =========== ===========
NET INCOME PER SHARE

 Average shares
 outstanding               3,025,947     3,075,471    3,004,461   3,122,149
                       ============= =============  =========== ===========
 Net income                    $ .24         $ .22        $ .40       $ .32
                       ============= =============  =========== ===========

PRIMARY EARNINGS
 PER SHARE

 Average shares
  outstanding              3,025,947     3,075,471    3,004,461   3,122,149
 
 Net effect of
  dilutive stock
  options (1)                212,821       214,677      221,730     208,908
                       ------------- -------------  ----------- -----------
                           3,238,768     3,290,148    3,226,191   3,331,057
                       ============= =============  =========== ===========
 Net income                    $ .22         $ .21        $ .37       $ .30
                       ============= =============  =========== ===========

FULLY DILUTED EARNINGS
 PER SHARE

 Average shares
  outstanding              3,025,947     3,075,471    3,004,461   3,122,149
 
 Net effect of dilutive 
  stock options (1)          230,548       238,009      243,397     244,119
                       ------------- -------------  ----------- -----------
                           3,256,495     3,315,480    3,247,858   3,366,268
                       ============= =============  =========== ===========
 Net income                    $ .22         $ .20        $ .37       $ .30
                       ============= =============  =========== ===========


(1) Based on the treasury stock method