8-K

                                UNITED STATES
                     SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, DC 20549

                                  FORM 8-K

                               CURRENT REPORT
   Pursuant to Section 13 or 15 (d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934



      Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)   April 6, 2005
                                                       -----------------

                      ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.
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             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

        MISSOURI                    0-13880                    43-1313242
(State of Incorporation)      (Commission File No.)           (IRS Employer
                                                           Identification No.)


201 Evans Lane, St. Louis, Missouri                               63121
(Address of principal executive officer)                        (Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number including area code:  (314) 553-4000


Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to
simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of
the following provisions:

[ ]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act
     (17 CFR 230.425)

[ ]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act
     (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

[ ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))



Item 5.02   Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of
            Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers.

            On April 6, 2005, Engineered Support Systems, Inc. issued a press
            release announcing the appointment of Gregory P. Boyer to its
            Board of Directors. Mr. Boyer was appointed to fill a vacant
            position on the Board of Directors and serves in the class of
            directors whose terms expire in 2007. Mr. Boyer will not be
            assigned to any committee of the Board of Directors at this time.
            A copy of that press release is filed as Exhibit 99 to this
            Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.



Item 9.01   Financial Statements and Exhibits.

            (c) The following exhibit is filed as part of this report:

            Exhibit Number                   Description
            --------------                   -----------

                  99          Press Release dated April 6, 2005, issued by
                              Engineered Support Systems, Inc., relating
                              to the appointment of a new director.



                                 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 hereunto duly authorized.

                                  ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.


Date: April 6, 2005       BY: /s/ Gary C. Gerhardt
     ---------------          ---------------------------------------------
                                  Gary C. Gerhardt
                                  Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer


                                EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit Number                         Description
- --------------                         -----------

      99          Press Release dated April 6, 2005, issued by Engineered
                  Support Systems, Inc., relating to the appointment of a
                  new director.

EX-99

                                                                  Exhibit 99

[logo]                                                                  RELEASE
[ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC.______________________________________________

                                    201 Evans Lane  o  St. Louis, MO 63121-1126



For more information, please contact:                             April 6, 2005
Larry Cox
314/553-4960, lcox@essihq.com


                           ENGINEERED SUPPORT ADDS
                     RETIRED HUMAN RESOURCES CONSULTANT
                            TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ST. LOUIS, MO--ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INC. (Nasdaq: EASI) announced the
appointment of Gregory P. Boyer to its Board of Directors. Mr. Boyer has 40
years of administrative experience in various municipal, private, and
publicly-held corporations with an emphasis on human resources and
employment-related matters. For the past 15 years prior to his retirement in
2004, Mr. Boyer served as principal of Century Administrative Services, a
St. Louis-based firm specializing in human resources, labor relations,
workers' compensation and safety/loss prevention services. From 1984 to
1989, Mr. Boyer served in various managerial capacities with Engineered
Support Systems and has provided professional consulting services to the
Company periodically since his employment. He was appointed to fill a vacant
position on the Company's Board effective April 1, 2005, and will stand for
election at the Company's Annual Meeting of Shareholders in March 2007.

Company CHAIRMAN MICHAEL F. SHANAHAN, SR. commented, "We welcome Greg
Boyer to our Board of Directors and look forward to his valuable service.
Greg's experience in dealing with a variety of human resource and labor
issues will be a great benefit to our company as we look to grow our
business both organically and through acquisitions. As a former executive
at Engineered Support earlier in his career, Greg is already quite familiar
with our Company's entrepreneurial culture and overall management philosophy
and will add value immediately."

Engineered Support Systems, Inc. provides advanced sustainment solutions
including the design, manufacture and supply of integrated military
electronics, support equipment and technical and logistics services for all
branches of America's armed forces and certain foreign militaries, homeland
security forces and selected government and intelligence agencies. The
company also produces specialized equipment and systems for commercial and
industrial applications. For additional information, please visit the
Company's website at http://www.engineeredsupport.com.

Certain statements in this press release are forward looking in nature and,
accordingly, are subject to risks and uncertainties. The actual results may
differ materially from those described or contemplated.

                                   * * * *

PROVIDING ADVANCED SUSTAINMENT SOLUTIONS TO THOSE WHO SERVE IN A CHANGING WORLD
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