SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                      Washington, D.C.  20549

                           SCHEDULE 13G


      Information Statement Pursuant to Rules 13d-1 and 13d-2
             Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                       (Amendment No.  9 )*


                    NICHOLS RESEARCH CORPORATION
                         (Name of Issuer)


                    COMMON STOCK $.01 PAR VALUE
                  (Title of Class of Securities)


                            653818 10 4
                          (CUSIP Number)


















____________________

     *The  remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting
person's initial  filing  on this form with respect to the subject class of
securities, and for any subsequent  amendment  containing information which
would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

     The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not
be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section  18  of  the  Securities
Exchange  Act  of  1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities  of
that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the
Act (however, see the Notes).


CUSIP NO. 653818 10 4

     1)   Names of Reporting Persons:      ROY J. NICHOLS

          S.S. or I.R.S. Identification Nos. of Above Persons:
              ###-##-####

     2)   Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group (See Instructions).

          (a)

          (b)    X

     3)   SEC Use Only

     4)   Citizenship or Place of Organization       U.S.A.
_______________________________________________________________________________


Number of Shares Beneficially Owned  (5)  Sole Voting Power             0
By Each Reporting Person With        __________________________________________
                                     (6)  Shared Voting Power       453,098{1}
                                     __________________________________________
                                     (7)  Sole Dispositive Power        0

                                     (8)  Shared Dispositive Power  453,098{1}
                                     __________________________________________


     9)   Aggregate Amount Beneficially  Owned  by  Each  Reporting  Person
                                 453,098

     10)  Check  if the Aggregate Amount in Row (9) Excludes Certain Shares
          (See Instructions)          X

     11)  Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (9) ______
                                     3.9%

     12)  Type of Reporting Person (See Instructions)     IN
_______________________________________________________________________________

**FOOTNOTES**

     {1}364,763 of  the  shares  are  held  in a Revocable Trust for Roy J.
Nichols  and  his spouse, Susan Mary Nichols.   Reporting  person  and  his
spouse are Trustees  of that Revocable Trust.  The Roy J. Nichols and Susan
Mary  Nichols Charitable  Remainder  Unitrust  owns  the  remaining  88,335
shares.  Roy J. Nichols is the sole Trustee of that charitable trust.


ITEM 1(a).  Name of Issuer:

            Nichols Research Corporation.

ITEM 1(b).  Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices:

            4040 Memorial Parkway, South, Huntsville, Alabama  35802-1326.

ITEM 2(a).  Name of Person Filing:

            Roy J. Nichols

ITEM 2(b).  Address of Principal Business Office or, if None, Residence:

            4040 Memorial Parkway, South, Huntsville, Alabama  35802-1326

ITEM 2(c).  Citizenship:

            United States of America

ITEM 2(d).  Title of Class of Securities:

            Common stock, par value $.01 per share

ITEM 2(e).  CUSIP Number:

            653818 10 4

ITEM 3.     Not applicable.

ITEM 4.     Ownership on December 31, 1996:

            (a)  Amount  beneficially  owned:   453,098  shares (which includes
                 0  shares which the person filing has the right to acquire upon
                 exercise of options.)

            (b)  Percent of class:   3.9   percent

            (c)  Number of shares as to which the person filing has:

                 (i)   sole power to vote or to direct the vote is 88,335;

                 (ii)  shared power to vote or to direct the vote is 364,763;

                 (iii) sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of is
                       88,335; and

                 (iv)  shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition of
                       is  364,763.

ITEM 5.   Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class:

          If the statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the
          date hereof the reporting  person has ceased to be the beneficial
          owner of more than five percent of the class of securities, check
          the following [ X ].

ITEM 6.   Not applicable.

ITEM 7:   Not applicable.

ITEM 8:   Not applicable.

ITEM 9:   Not applicable.

ITEM 10:  Not applicable.


                             SIGNATURE

     After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I
certify that the information set forth  in this statement is true, complete
and correct.

Date:  February 14, 1997

Signature:

ROY J. NICHOLS, DIRECTOR AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Name/Title

By:   Elizabeth W. Abel
- ------------------------------------
Elizabeth W. Abel, Attorney-in-Fact
  for Roy J. Nichols


ATTENTION:   INTENTIONAL  MISSTATEMENTS OR  OMISSIONS  OF  FACT  CONSTITUTE
FEDERAL CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS (See 18 U.S.C. 1001).


STATE OF ALABAMA
COUNTY OF MADISON

                         POWER OF ATTORNEY

     KNOW   ALL   MEN  BY  THESE  PRESENTS,  that  the  undersigned  hereby
constitutes and appoints  each  of  JOHN  R.  WYNN  and  ELIZABETH W. ABEL,
signing singly, the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

     1.   execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, individually and/or
in the undersigned's capacity (a) as an officer and/or director  of Nichols
Research  Company (the "Company"), (b) as Co-Trustee of the Roy J.  Nichols
and Susan Mary  Nichols Revocable Trust (the "Revocable Trust"), and/or (c)
as  Trustee of the  Roy  J.  Nichols  and  Susan  Mary  Nichols  Charitable
Remainder  Unitrust  (the  "Charitable  Trust"), Schedule 13G in accordance
with Section 13(g) of the Securities Exchange  Act  of  1934  and the rules
thereunder; and

     2.   do  and  perform  any  and  all  acts  for  and on behalf of  the
undersigned which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute any
such  Schedule  13G  and  timely  file  such  form  with the United  States
Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  and  any stock exchange  or  similar
authority; and

     3.   take any other action of any type whatsoever  in  connection with
the  foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact,  may  be  of
benefit  to,  and  in  the  best  interest  of, or legally required by, the
undersigned.

     The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power
and  authority to do and perform any and every  act  and  thing  whatsoever
requisite,  necessary,  or  proper to be done in the exercise of any of the
rights and powers herein granted,  as  fully to all intents and purposes as
the undersigned might or could do if personally present, with full power of
substitution or revocation, hereby ratifying  and  confirming all that such
attorney-in-fact,  or  such attorney-in-fact's substitute  or  substitutes,
shall lawfully do or cause  to  be done by virtue of this power of attorney
and the rights and powers herein  granted.   The  undersigned  acknowledges
that  the foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such capacity  at  the
request  of the undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Company assuming,
any of the  undersigned's  responsibilities to comply with Section 13(g) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

     This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is no longer required  to file Schedule 13G with respect to the
undersigned's holdings of securities  issued by the Company, unless earlier
revoked by the undersigned in a signed  writing  delivered to the foregoing
attorneys-in-fact.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused  this Power of Attorney
to be executed as of this 14th day of February, 1997.


                                   Roy J. Nichols
                                   ---------------------------
                                   Roy J. Nichols


STATE OF ALABAMA
COUNTY OF MADISON

     I, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for the  State  and  County
aforesaid, hereby certify that ROY J. NICHOLS, whose name is signed to  the
foregoing Power of Attorney, and who is known to me, acknowledged before me
on  this day that, being informed of the contents of the Power of Attorney,
he executed the same voluntarily on the day the same bears date.

     Given  under  my  hand  and  official  seal  on  this the 14th day of
February, 1997.


                              Patty R. Baugher
                              ------------------------------------
                              Notary Public
                              My commission expires: August 2, 1998