content: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 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): October 3, 2002
  
  
                              SONEX RESEARCH, INC.
                (Exact name of registrant as specified in Charter)
  
  
           Maryland                  0-14465                52-1188993
        (State or other           (Commision file         (IRS employer
        jurisdiction of               number)           identification no.)
         incorporation)
  
  
  
                      23 Hudson Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
                     (Address of principal executive offices)
  
  
                                (410) 266-5556
               (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
  
  
                                      N/A
           (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ITEM 5. - OTHER EVENTS
  
  On October 3, 2002,  Sonex Research,  Inc. (the "Company")  posted the following
  notice to  shareholders  on its website  (www.sonexresearch.com)  and issued the
  notice over the wire services:
  
  
                       SONEX RECEIVES $744,246 CONTRACT FROM DARPA
  
  
  ANNAPOLIS,  MARYLAND,  October 3, 2002 - SONEX  RESEARCH,  INC. (OTC BB: SONX)
  announced that it has received a $744,246,  ten-month  contract from the Defense
  Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to begin the design and development of
  a "heavy fuel" engine (HFE) conversion process for a 300 hp gasoline  automotive
  engine for  potential use in an  experimental  helicopter-type  unmanned  aerial
  vehicle (UAV) under development by DARPA's Tactical Technology Office (TTO).
  
  The  Department  of Defense  (DoD)  prefers  that engines used in UAVs and other
  military  applications  for  which  gasoline  storage  and use are  undesirable,
  operate on less volatile,  diesel-type,  kerosene-based  "heavy fuels" to reduce
  the hazard and logistics  burden  associated  with  gasoline.  Sonex already has
  successfully  established  an HFE  technology  baseline by applying its patented
  Sonex  Combustion  System (SCS) technology to the conversion of several sizes of
  commercially  available,  lightweight,  spark-ignite (SI),  two-stroke  gasoline
  engines for use in UAVs to start and operate on heavy  fuels.  This program with
  DARPA will focus on an SCS  process to  convert  an  existing  SI,  four-stroke,
  gasoline engine to heavy fuel.
  
  Under the  current  level of effort  and  funding,  Sonex  expects  to achieve a
  laboratory  configuration of the SCS four-stroke engine operating on heavy fuels
  with power and fuel  consumption  essentially  equal to  operation  of the stock
  engine on  gasoline.  The SCS HFE  configuration  will  maintain the benefits of
  light weight gasoline engine design.
  
  Sonex has been developing its SCS technology for in-cylinder control of ignition
  and  combustion,  designed to increase  fuel  mileage  and reduce  emissions  of
  internal combustion engines.  The SCS improves the combustion of fuel in engines
  through design  modification of the pistons in four-stroke  direct injected (DI)
  engines or the  cylinder  heads in  two-stroke,  SI gasoline  engines to achieve
  chemical/turbulent enhancement of combustion.
  
  
  
  CONTACT:   Sonex  Research,   Inc.:   George  Ponticas,   410-266-5556,   email:
  sonex@erols.com,   www.sonexresearch.com;  Investor  Relations:  The  Scottsdale
  Group,   Susan   Ladue,   781-292-1050,   email:    info@thescottsdalegroup.com,
  www.thescottsdalegroup.com.
  
  
  
  ABOUT DARPA
  
  The Defense Advanced  Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an organization of 240
  personnel  (approximately 140 of which are technical) directly managing a budget
  of about $2.5 billion. The DARPA mission is to develop  imaginative,  innovative
  and often high-risk research ideas offering a significant  technological  impact
  that will go well beyond the normal evolutionary developmental approaches;  and,
  to pursue these ideas from the  demonstration of technical  feasibility  through
  the development of prototype systems.  More information about DARPA can be found
  on the Internet at www.darpa.mil.
  
  
  ABOUT SONEX
  
  Sonex  Research,  Inc.,  a leader  in the  field of  combustion  technology,  is
  developing its patented Sonex Combustion  System (SCS)  piston-based  technology
  for in-cylinder  control of ignition and  combustion,  designed to increase fuel
  mileage and reduce  emissions  of internal  combustion  engines.  Sonex plans to
  complete development, commercialize and market its SCS Stratified Charge Radical
  Ignition  (SCRI)  combustion  process to the automotive  industry in response to
  forthcoming  increases in national  vehicle fuel mileage  standards.  Presently,
  high mileage, roomy and safe five-passenger  automobiles using gasoline,  direct
  injected (GDI) engines are sold only in Japan and Europe due to high  emissions.
  Sonex intends to conclusively  demonstrate that SCS-SCRI will enable GDI engined
  vehicles to achieve 50 mpg (highway) while meeting emissions standards to permit
  sale in the U.S. as a viable,  near-term  alternative to  longer-term  solutions
  such as  improvements  in hybrid  propulsion  systems  or years of  further  R&D
  required for fuel cell technology to become practical.
  
  Additionally, independent third-party testing has confirmed the potential of the
  SCS application for DI diesel engines to reduce harmful soot in-cylinder without
  increasing   fuel   consumption.   Sonex  is  pursuing   joint   marketing   and
  commercialization  programs  for the  SCS low  soot  technology  with  committed
  industrial partners.
  
  Other SCS designs are being used to convert gasoline engines of various sizes to
  operate on safer,  diesel-type  "heavy fuels" for use in military and commercial
  applications  requiring  light  weight and safe  handling  and  storage of fuel.
  Examples include UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and ATVs (all-terrain vehicles)
  such as those used by U.S.  defense forces in  Afghanistan,  as well as outboard
  engines, small watercraft used as targets, and generator sets.
  
  
  CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
  
  "Forward-looking"  statements  contained  in this  announcement,  as well as all
  publicly disseminated material about the Company, are made pursuant to the "safe
  harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Act. Such statements are
  based  on  current  expectations,  estimates,  projections  and  assumptions  by
  management  with respect to matters  such as  commercial  acceptance  of the SCS
  technology, the impact of competition,  and the Company's financial condition or
  results of  operations.  Readers  are  cautioned  that such  statements  are not
  guarantees of future  performance and involve risks and uncertainties that could
  cause  actual  results to differ  materially  from those  expressed  in any such
  forward-looking statements.  Additional information regarding the risks faced by
  Sonex is provided in the  Company's  periodic  filings with the  Securities  and
  Exchange Commission under the heading "Risk Factors". Such filings are available
  upon request from the Company or online in the EDGAR database at www.sec.gov.
  
  
                                   ###
  
  
  
  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.
  
  October 3, 2002
  
  SONEX RESEARCH, INC.
  Registrant
  
  /s/ George E. Ponticas
  ----------------------
  George E. Ponticas
  Chief Financial Officer
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text: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 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): October 3, 2002
  
                              SONEX RESEARCH, INC.
                (Exact name of registrant as specified in Charter)
  
           Maryland                  0-14465                52-1188993
        (State or other           (Commision file         (IRS employer
        jurisdiction of               number)           identification no.)
         incorporation)
  
                      23 Hudson Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
                     (Address of principal executive offices)
  
                                (410) 266-5556
               (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
  
                                      N/A
           (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
  
  ITEM 5. - OTHER EVENTS
  
  On October 3, 2002,  Sonex Research,  Inc. (the "Company")  posted the following
  notice to  shareholders  on its website  (www.sonexresearch.com)  and issued the
  notice over the wire services:
  
                       SONEX RECEIVES $744,246 CONTRACT FROM DARPA
  
  ANNAPOLIS,  MARYLAND,  October 3, 2002 - SONEX  RESEARCH,  INC. (OTC BB: SONX)
  announced that it has received a $744,246,  ten-month  contract from the Defense
  Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to begin the design and development of
  a "heavy fuel" engine (HFE) conversion process for a 300 hp gasoline  automotive
  engine for  potential use in an  experimental  helicopter-type  unmanned  aerial
  vehicle (UAV) under development by DARPA's Tactical Technology Office (TTO).
  
  The  Department  of Defense  (DoD)  prefers  that engines used in UAVs and other
  military  applications  for  which  gasoline  storage  and use are  undesirable,
  operate on less volatile,  diesel-type,  kerosene-based  "heavy fuels" to reduce
  the hazard and logistics  burden  associated  with  gasoline.  Sonex already has
  successfully  established  an HFE  technology  baseline by applying its patented
  Sonex  Combustion  System (SCS) technology to the conversion of several sizes of
  commercially  available,  lightweight,  spark-ignite (SI),  two-stroke  gasoline
  engines for use in UAVs to start and operate on heavy  fuels.  This program with
  DARPA will focus on an SCS  process to  convert  an  existing  SI,  four-stroke,
  gasoline engine to heavy fuel.
  
  Under the  current  level of effort  and  funding,  Sonex  expects  to achieve a
  laboratory  configuration of the SCS four-stroke engine operating on heavy fuels
  with power and fuel  consumption  essentially  equal to  operation  of the stock
  engine on  gasoline.  The SCS HFE  configuration  will  maintain the benefits of
  light weight gasoline engine design.
  
  Sonex has been developing its SCS technology for in-cylinder control of ignition
  and  combustion,  designed to increase  fuel  mileage  and reduce  emissions  of
  internal combustion engines.  The SCS improves the combustion of fuel in engines
  through design  modification of the pistons in four-stroke  direct injected (DI)
  engines or the  cylinder  heads in  two-stroke,  SI gasoline  engines to achieve
  chemical/turbulent enhancement of combustion.
  
  CONTACT:   Sonex  Research,   Inc.:   George  Ponticas,   410-266-5556,   email:
  sonex@erols.com,   www.sonexresearch.com;  Investor  Relations:  The  Scottsdale
  Group,   Susan   Ladue,   781-292-1050,   email:    info@thescottsdalegroup.com,
  www.thescottsdalegroup.com.
  
  ABOUT DARPA
  
  The Defense Advanced  Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an organization of 240
  personnel  (approximately 140 of which are technical) directly managing a budget
  of about $2.5 billion. The DARPA mission is to develop  imaginative,  innovative
  and often high-risk research ideas offering a significant  technological  impact
  that will go well beyond the normal evolutionary developmental approaches;  and,
  to pursue these ideas from the  demonstration of technical  feasibility  through
  the development of prototype systems.  More information about DARPA can be found
  on the Internet at www.darpa.mil.
  
  ABOUT SONEX
  
  Sonex  Research,  Inc.,  a leader  in the  field of  combustion  technology,  is
  developing its patented Sonex Combustion  System (SCS)  piston-based  technology
  for in-cylinder  control of ignition and  combustion,  designed to increase fuel
  mileage and reduce  emissions  of internal  combustion  engines.  Sonex plans to
  complete development, commercialize and market its SCS Stratified Charge Radical
  Ignition  (SCRI)  combustion  process to the automotive  industry in response to
  forthcoming  increases in national  vehicle fuel mileage  standards.  Presently,
  high mileage, roomy and safe five-passenger  automobiles using gasoline,  direct
  injected (GDI) engines are sold only in Japan and Europe due to high  emissions.
  Sonex intends to conclusively  demonstrate that SCS-SCRI will enable GDI engined
  vehicles to achieve 50 mpg (highway) while meeting emissions standards to permit
  sale in the U.S. as a viable,  near-term  alternative to  longer-term  solutions
  such as  improvements  in hybrid  propulsion  systems  or years of  further  R&D
  required for fuel cell technology to become practical.
  
  Additionally, independent third-party testing has confirmed the potential of the
  SCS application for DI diesel engines to reduce harmful soot in-cylinder without
  increasing   fuel   consumption.   Sonex  is  pursuing   joint   marketing   and
  commercialization  programs  for the  SCS low  soot  technology  with  committed
  industrial partners.
  
  Other SCS designs are being used to convert gasoline engines of various sizes to
  operate on safer,  diesel-type  "heavy fuels" for use in military and commercial
  applications  requiring  light  weight and safe  handling  and  storage of fuel.
  Examples include UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and ATVs (all-terrain vehicles)
  such as those used by U.S.  defense forces in  Afghanistan,  as well as outboard
  engines, small watercraft used as targets, and generator sets.
  
  CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
  
  "Forward-looking"  statements  contained  in this  announcement,  as well as all
  publicly disseminated material about the Company, are made pursuant to the "safe
  harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Act. Such statements are
  based  on  current  expectations,  estimates,  projections  and  assumptions  by
  management  with respect to matters  such as  commercial  acceptance  of the SCS
  technology, the impact of competition,  and the Company's financial condition or
  results of  operations.  Readers  are  cautioned  that such  statements  are not
  guarantees of future  performance and involve risks and uncertainties that could
  cause  actual  results to differ  materially  from those  expressed  in any such
  forward-looking statements.  Additional information regarding the risks faced by
  Sonex is provided in the  Company's  periodic  filings with the  Securities  and
  Exchange Commission under the heading "Risk Factors". Such filings are available
  upon request from the Company or online in the EDGAR database at www.sec.gov.
  
                                   ###
  
  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.
  
  October 3, 2002
  
  SONEX RESEARCH, INC.
  Registrant
  
  /s/ George E. Ponticas
  ----------------------
  George E. Ponticas
  Chief Financial Officer