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): September 24, 2003
  
  
                              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 AND REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE
  
  
  On September 24, 2003, the Registrant  posted the following news announcement on
  its website (www.sonexresearch.com):
  
  
  
                       SONEX HOLDS ANNUAL SHAREHOLDER MEETING;
                             DISCUSSES PLANS FOR GROWTH
  
  
  ANNAPOLIS,  MARYLAND,  September 24, 2003 - SONEX RESEARCH,  INC. (OTC BB: SONX)
  reports that its 2003 Annual Meeting of  Shareholders  was held on September 16,
  2003 at the Hampton Inn and Suites Annapolis to re-elect directors and to report
  on the latest developments at the Company.
  
  Shareholders  were informed of progress on current  technology  development  and
  demonstration  contracts with the U.S. Government and strategic  initiatives now
  taking shape at Sonex,  particularly  with respect to plans for  increasing  the
  Company's  profile  within  the  Department  of Defense  (DoD) for Sonex  engine
  technology for use in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a field that is receiving
  increased attention within DoD.
  
  Management   also   reported   that  Sonex  has  expanded  its   marketing   and
  commercialization  capabilities  in 2003 by hiring  specialized  consultants  to
  provide business advisory services in areas such as strategic alliances, federal
  marketing,  and government procurement  assistance.  The Company is pursuing new
  opportunities   for   revenue  as   development   work   continues   on  current
  government-funded engine projects.
  
  Also at the meeting, the holders of the Company's Preferred Stock re-elected Mr.
  Lawrence H. Hyde to serve as a Preferred  Stock  Director to serve a term ending
  at the Annual  Meeting  in 2006.  There were no Common  Stock  directors  up for
  re-election,  nor were there any other  Common  Stock  proposals  offered by the
  Board of Directors or presented by any shareholder.
  
  The following are highlights of  presentations  made, and responses to questions
  from the audience,  by members of Sonex  management  and key  consultants to the
  Company.
  
  
  Overview - An Evolving, Growing Company
  
  George E. Ponticas,  Sonex Chief  Financial  Officer and  Secretary,  provided a
  brief overview of the changes taking place at Sonex.  Mr.  Ponticas  stated that
  over the past year,  management has begun the process of transforming Sonex from
  a tiny company struggling to survive to an organization that intends to grow and
  thrive.  He noted that while the Company is generating  significant  revenue and
  operating cash from government development and demonstration contracts, spending
  has increased to hire qualified technical personnel,  improve computing, testing
  and design  capabilities,  and to  supplement  in-house  personnel  resources by
  engaging  business  and  technical  consultants  to help  the  Company  grow and
  generate new revenue sources.
  
  Mr.  Ponticas  explained  that Sonex has been able to  maintain  this  course by
  carefully  managing  available  funds  through  measures  such as the  continued
  voluntary   deferral  of  salaries  by  Company   officers,   flexible   payment
  arrangements  with  consultants,  and the  securing  of  short-term  loans  from
  shareholders.  He also  expressed  the  Company's  gratitude  to  several  local
  shareholders for supplying their time, skills, and funding, which assistance has
  been of great benefit to the Company.
  
  
  Strategic Initiatives
  
  An analysis of the  Company's  strategic  initiatives  was presented by Glenn R.
  Beach, President of the Annapolis business consulting firm Paradigm Technologies
  LLC,  who has been  serving as a senior  advisor to the Sonex Board of Directors
  since January 2003. Mr. Beach stated that during 2003 the Company has focused on
  business re-positioning,  strengthening its internal capabilities,  and planning
  for growth.  He said the Company  currently is  developing a marketing  strategy
  targeting the most immediate  business  opportunity - the government sector, the
  success of which is expected to enhance marketing and commercialization  efforts
  with industry.
  
  With  funding  from the  Department  of Energy  (DOE) and the  Defense  Advanced
  Research Projects Agency (DARPA),  Sonex is now developing piston designs for an
  automotive  diesel engine  application and a kerosene-based  "heavy" fuel engine
  (HFE) for potential use in intermediate  sized UAVs. Mr. Beach elaborated on the
  Company's  initiatives  within  other  parts of the DoD in response to a current
  directive  requiring  engines used in UAVs and other military  applications  for
  which  gasoline  storage and use are  undesirable,  to operate on less  volatile
  heavy fuels to reduce the hazard and logistics burden  associated with gasoline.
  He  said  Sonex  is  seeking  to  capitalize  on its  previous  achievements  in
  converting several sizes of small, commercially available, lightweight, gasoline
  engines for use in UAVs to start and operate on heavy fuels.
  
  In particular,  Mr. Beach spoke of an effort undertaken by Sonex during the last
  few weeks to  promote  the SCS  process  as an  enabling  factor  for heavy fuel
  conversions,  thereby creating a U.S.-based core defense systems capability.  He
  said  Sonex  hopes to become a key DoD  resource  for HFEs.  He stated  that the
  Company is in discussions  with the military on this topic and  anticipates  the
  award of new contracts in the near future.
  
  As a potential new opportunity,  Mr. Beach cited a recent HFE conversion  effort
  started by Sonex under a subcontract from a large DoD prime contractor,  Science
  Applications  International  Corporation (SAIC). Under this effort begun in late
  2002, Sonex and SAIC selected a candidate,  pre-production,  gasoline engine for
  evaluation  of its  potential  for SCS  conversion to start and operate on heavy
  fuels  for  use in a UAV  weapon  system.  DoD  funding  to  SAIC  for  the  HFE
  development,  which had included a subcontract  to a competing firm to develop a
  rotary HFE, was suspended  during 2003.  Now Sonex seeks to obtain the necessary
  funding from DoD to continue  development  of this HFE,  and others,  for use in
  intermediate size UAVs for varied missions.
  
  To assist with federal marketing and  commercialization  services,  earlier this
  year Sonex hired The Washington Capitol Group (TWCG), a government relations and
  public  affairs  firm.  TWCG is working  with Mr.  Beach and Sonex  personnel to
  formulate  a  strategy  and  pursue   governmental   and   commercial   business
  opportunities.  One of their areas of emphasis is to help Sonex secure follow-up
  funding on its existing government programs through associations with government
  laboratories  which have  ongoing  relationships  with all the major  automotive
  manufacturers  and defense  contractors.  Sonex hopes these efforts will lead to
  increased  cooperation  with industry and  accelerate  commercialization  of the
  Sonex technologies.
  
  
  Government Contracts; Expanding Technical Capabilities
  
  Dr. Andrew A. Pouring,  Chief Executive  Officer,  Vice Chairman of the Board of
  Directors,  and Chief  Scientist,  expanded on the current programs with DOE and
  DARPA and provided an overview of the primary SCS piston  technologies - the Low
  Soot  Diesel  Design  (LSDD)  and the  Sonex  Controlled  Auto  Ignition  (SCAI)
  combustion process.
  
  Dr.  Pouring  explained  that the LSDD enables soot and oxides of nitrogen (NOx)
  reductions in standard direct  injection (DI) diesel engines at high compression
  ratios.  He discussed the study  conducted by one of the world's  leading engine
  engineering  consulting  firms,  Ricardo  Consulting  Engineers Ltd of the U.K.,
  which confirmed the soot  reductions  achieved by the LSDD in a DI diesel engine
  used in medium-duty  trucks.  Ricardo  presented  these  findings,  as well as a
  technical  description  of how  the  SCS  process  works  resulting  from  their
  Computational  Fluid Dynamics study of the  combustion  process,  in a technical
  paper to the  Society  of  Automotive  Engineers  (SAE)  2002  Fuels  and  Lubes
  Conference.  Dr.  Pouring  added that  Ricardo  have agreed to pursue  marketing
  opportunities  and work with Sonex on  potential  funded  programs  with  engine
  manufacturers.
  
  Currently,  the LSDD is being evaluated under the Company's  subcontract awarded
  by DOE prime contractor Compact Membrane Systems,  Inc. (CMS). Sonex and CMS are
  evaluating  the diesel  engine  emissions  reduction  potential of combining SCS
  pistons and the CMS polymer  membrane  technology  for the  addition of nitrogen
  enriched air to the  combustion  process.  Sonex is conducting the testing on an
  advanced, research, three-cylinder, DI, turbo-charged,  automotive diesel engine
  developed  by a major  international  vehicle  manufacturer  in the  joint  U.S.
  Government and automotive industry funded PNGV (Partnership for a New Generation
  Vehicle) program.
  
  The SCAI combustion process is applicable to low compression ratio DI engines to
  enable  auto-ignition  and  combustion  with high  rates of heat  release  for a
  variety of fuels to achieve  reduced  emissions  and  increased  fuel economy in
  un-throttled,  lightweight  engines.  The  SCAI  is an  in-cylinder  method  for
  isolating  a small  portion  of an  unthrottled,  lean  air-fuel  charge in each
  combustion  cycle to produce  reactive  chemical  species (RCS) that are carried
  over to cause  sparkless  compression  ignition  in the next  cycle at  gasoline
  compression ratios.  Sonex previously referred to the SCAI combustion process as
  "Stratified  Charge,  Radical Ignition (SCRI)" because the piston design process
  focuses on the control of ignition by placing a special  design  emphasis on the
  chemically  active products of combustion known as "free radicals".  The Company
  now  feels  that  the  term  Sonex  Controlled  Auto  Ignition  (SCAI)  is  more
  descriptive of the ability of the process to control low compression  ratio auto
  ignition in a DI engine.
  
  The  Company's  current  contract  from  DARPA  calls for the  conversion  of an
  existing  six-cylinder,   spark-ignited,  four-stroke,  automotive  engine  from
  gasoline  operation to heavy fuel  operation  through a custom  common rail fuel
  injection  system and an SCAI piston  design.  DARPA may consider  this route to
  achieve  an HFE  for  potential  use in a  developmental  UAV  or  other  engine
  applications.  The SCAI  process  for  four-stroke  engines  achieves  sparkless
  ignition-combustion  of the heavy fuel without raising the compression  ratio to
  the levels found in diesel  engines.  As a result,  the inherent light weight of
  the gasoline  engine is preserved and peak  combustion  pressures are limited to
  those of gasoline  operation.  Currently,  Sonex is nearing  achievement  of the
  laboratory configuration HFE to begin iterative testing on heavy fuel.
  
  Dr. Pouring informed the shareholders  that most of the recent SCAI calculations
  and computer  modeling had been  performed  by David A. Blank,  Ph.D.,  a former
  student of Dr. Pouring's at the U.S. Naval Academy and now a consultant to Sonex
  living in India.  Dr. Blank also  co-authored  and presented the Company's  most
  recent technical paper on the SCAI combustion  process at the May 2003 SAE Fuels
  and Lubes Conference in Japan. Dr. Pouring expressed his thanks and gratitude to
  Dr. Blank for his  significant  contributions,  particularly in view of the fact
  that to date Dr. Blank has received only stock option compensation for this work
  and partial  reimbursement for his significant  out-of-pocket  expenditures.  He
  stated that the Company would attempt to find room in its budget to provide cash
  compensation  for Dr. Blank for his past efforts and bring him to Annapolis on a
  full-time, full-pay basis in 2004.
  
  Finally,   Dr.  Pouring  reported  that  the  Company  is  developing  a  patent
  application  using  proprietary  techniques to improve the performance of rotary
  engines  operating on gasoline now in use in some UAVs when  converted to run on
  heavy  fuels.  The  advantages  for the rotary  engine  when  compared to piston
  technologies are clearly  significant.  The rotary engine has fewer moving parts
  and is a very simple and elegant  technical  solution  for UAV  engines.  Rotary
  engines  converted  by Sonex  to run on  heavy  fuel  are  expected  to  exhibit
  efficient and steady performance.  Combustion efficiency is expected to improve,
  thereby  decreasing  fuel  consumption  over  all  load  ranges,  which  is very
  important for increasing  endurance and/or increasing available payload capacity
  on UAVs.
  
  
  Potential Impact of Sonex GDI Technology on National Energy Policy Legislation
  
  Mr. Michael I. Keller,  the consultant who has served as the Company's  Director
  of Business  Development and Government Programs for the past few years, touched
  on the  Company's  efforts to provide input to the ongoing  legislative  process
  regarding  fuel  mileage and  emissions  standards.  He recapped  the efforts by
  Congress  over the past year to  legislate  a national  energy  bill which could
  include  increases to the future Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards
  for automobiles and light trucks.  Congress failed to reach agreement in 2002 on
  such a bill but is addressing it once again in 2003.
  
  Mr. Keller  reported that Sonex is seeking to show the technical  feasibility of
  achieving  reduced fuel consumption  while lowering  emissions in a new class of
  gasoline engines,  yet overcoming the safety concern that vehicles would need to
  be  reduced  in size and weight to improve  fuel  mileage.  The SCAI  combustion
  process  focusing on the  control of ignition  may,  with  further  development,
  enable gasoline direct injected (GDI) automobile engines, currently manufactured
  and sold only in  markets  outside  the U.S.  due to high  emissions,  to become
  emissions compliant in the U.S. while providing fuel consumption benefits.
  
  He explained that Sonex had effectively presented the SCAI technology during the
  House-Senate  Conference on the Energy Policy Act of 2002.  Language in the 2002
  version  favorable to the Company's  efforts has been carried over into the 2003
  proposed  bill,  specifically  encouraging  industrial  investment  in feasible,
  innovative,  fuel-saving  technologies  that could be put into production in the
  2010 to 2012 timeframe.
  
  The  objective  of  Sonex  is to be at the  forefront  by  providing  compelling
  laboratory  engine  data on how the SCAI  can  deliver  25% to 30% fuel  mileage
  improvements  at lower cost than any  alternative  in that time  frame,  such as
  hydrogen-fuel cell powered vehicles and infrastructure which are more costly and
  longer term. In addition,  the evolution of hybrid gasoline and electric powered
  vehicles could be accelerated  since a major  improvement in engine fuel mileage
  would provide  opportunities for tradeoff of vehicle weight versus fuel-electric
  balance.
  
  Sonex is applying the SCS piston technologies in contracted programs for the DoD
  and the DOE.  Outcomes  from  these  current  programs  on diesel and heavy fuel
  should  validate  the SCS  technology  for  in-cylinder  control of ignition and
  combustion that could be applied to a gasoline powered version.
  
  
  Contact:  George E. Ponticas,  CFO. Tel: 410-266-5556;  email:  sonex@erols.com;
  website www.sonexresearch.com
  
  
  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  Sonex  Controlled  Auto
  Ignition (SCAI)  combustion  process to the automotive  industry to improve fuel
  efficiency of gasoline powered vehicles in response to forthcoming  increases in
  national vehicle fuel mileage standards.  Additionally,  independent third-party
  testing has confirmed the potential of the SCS application  for  direct-injected
  diesel  engines to reduce  harmful  soot  in-cylinder  without  increasing  fuel
  consumption.  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, such as in UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles).
  
  
  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.
  
  
  September 24, 2003
  
  SONEX RESEARCH, INC.
  Registrant
  
  /s/ George E. Ponticas
  ----------------------
  George E. Ponticas
  Chief Financial Officer
metadata_documents: [{"type": "8-K", "sequence": "1", "filename": "r8k-092403.txt", "description": "CURRENT REPORT ON FORM 8-K", "secsgml_size_bytes": 19016}]
metadata_filer: {"company-data": {"conformed-name": "SONEX RESEARCH INC", "cik": "0000723312", "assigned-sic": "8731", "irs-number": "521188993", "state-of-incorporation": "MD", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "8-K", "act": "34", "file-number": "000-14465", "film-number": "03908468"}, "business-address": {"street1": "23 HUDSON ST", "city": "ANNAPOLIS", "state": "MD", "zip": "21401", "phone": "4102665556"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "23 HUDSON STREET", "city": "ANNAPOLIS", "state": "MD", "zip": "21401"}}
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): September 24, 2003
  
                              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 AND REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE
  
  On September 24, 2003, the Registrant  posted the following news announcement on
  its website (www.sonexresearch.com):
  
                       SONEX HOLDS ANNUAL SHAREHOLDER MEETING;
                             DISCUSSES PLANS FOR GROWTH
  
  ANNAPOLIS,  MARYLAND,  September 24, 2003 - SONEX RESEARCH,  INC. (OTC BB: SONX)
  reports that its 2003 Annual Meeting of  Shareholders  was held on September 16,
  2003 at the Hampton Inn and Suites Annapolis to re-elect directors and to report
  on the latest developments at the Company.
  
  Shareholders  were informed of progress on current  technology  development  and
  demonstration  contracts with the U.S. Government and strategic  initiatives now
  taking shape at Sonex,  particularly  with respect to plans for  increasing  the
  Company's  profile  within  the  Department  of Defense  (DoD) for Sonex  engine
  technology for use in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a field that is receiving
  increased attention within DoD.
  
  Management   also   reported   that  Sonex  has  expanded  its   marketing   and
  commercialization  capabilities  in 2003 by hiring  specialized  consultants  to
  provide business advisory services in areas such as strategic alliances, federal
  marketing,  and government procurement  assistance.  The Company is pursuing new
  opportunities   for   revenue  as   development   work   continues   on  current
  government-funded engine projects.
  
  Also at the meeting, the holders of the Company's Preferred Stock re-elected Mr.
  Lawrence H. Hyde to serve as a Preferred  Stock  Director to serve a term ending
  at the Annual  Meeting  in 2006.  There were no Common  Stock  directors  up for
  re-election,  nor were there any other  Common  Stock  proposals  offered by the
  Board of Directors or presented by any shareholder.
  
  The following are highlights of  presentations  made, and responses to questions
  from the audience,  by members of Sonex  management  and key  consultants to the
  Company.
  
  Overview - An Evolving, Growing Company
  
  George E. Ponticas,  Sonex Chief  Financial  Officer and  Secretary,  provided a
  brief overview of the changes taking place at Sonex.  Mr.  Ponticas  stated that
  over the past year,  management has begun the process of transforming Sonex from
  a tiny company struggling to survive to an organization that intends to grow and
  thrive.  He noted that while the Company is generating  significant  revenue and
  operating cash from government development and demonstration contracts, spending
  has increased to hire qualified technical personnel,  improve computing, testing
  and design  capabilities,  and to  supplement  in-house  personnel  resources by
  engaging  business  and  technical  consultants  to help  the  Company  grow and
  generate new revenue sources.
  
  Mr.  Ponticas  explained  that Sonex has been able to  maintain  this  course by
  carefully  managing  available  funds  through  measures  such as the  continued
  voluntary   deferral  of  salaries  by  Company   officers,   flexible   payment
  arrangements  with  consultants,  and the  securing  of  short-term  loans  from
  shareholders.  He also  expressed  the  Company's  gratitude  to  several  local
  shareholders for supplying their time, skills, and funding, which assistance has
  been of great benefit to the Company.
  
  Strategic Initiatives
  
  An analysis of the  Company's  strategic  initiatives  was presented by Glenn R.
  Beach, President of the Annapolis business consulting firm Paradigm Technologies
  LLC,  who has been  serving as a senior  advisor to the Sonex Board of Directors
  since January 2003. Mr. Beach stated that during 2003 the Company has focused on
  business re-positioning,  strengthening its internal capabilities,  and planning
  for growth.  He said the Company  currently is  developing a marketing  strategy
  targeting the most immediate  business  opportunity - the government sector, the
  success of which is expected to enhance marketing and commercialization  efforts
  with industry.
  
  With  funding  from the  Department  of Energy  (DOE) and the  Defense  Advanced
  Research Projects Agency (DARPA),  Sonex is now developing piston designs for an
  automotive  diesel engine  application and a kerosene-based  "heavy" fuel engine
  (HFE) for potential use in intermediate  sized UAVs. Mr. Beach elaborated on the
  Company's  initiatives  within  other  parts of the DoD in response to a current
  directive  requiring  engines used in UAVs and other military  applications  for
  which  gasoline  storage and use are  undesirable,  to operate on less  volatile
  heavy fuels to reduce the hazard and logistics burden  associated with gasoline.
  He  said  Sonex  is  seeking  to  capitalize  on its  previous  achievements  in
  converting several sizes of small, commercially available, lightweight, gasoline
  engines for use in UAVs to start and operate on heavy fuels.
  
  In particular,  Mr. Beach spoke of an effort undertaken by Sonex during the last
  few weeks to  promote  the SCS  process  as an  enabling  factor  for heavy fuel
  conversions,  thereby creating a U.S.-based core defense systems capability.  He
  said  Sonex  hopes to become a key DoD  resource  for HFEs.  He stated  that the
  Company is in discussions  with the military on this topic and  anticipates  the
  award of new contracts in the near future.
  
  As a potential new opportunity,  Mr. Beach cited a recent HFE conversion  effort
  started by Sonex under a subcontract from a large DoD prime contractor,  Science
  Applications  International  Corporation (SAIC). Under this effort begun in late
  2002, Sonex and SAIC selected a candidate,  pre-production,  gasoline engine for
  evaluation  of its  potential  for SCS  conversion to start and operate on heavy
  fuels  for  use in a UAV  weapon  system.  DoD  funding  to  SAIC  for  the  HFE
  development,  which had included a subcontract  to a competing firm to develop a
  rotary HFE, was suspended  during 2003.  Now Sonex seeks to obtain the necessary
  funding from DoD to continue  development  of this HFE,  and others,  for use in
  intermediate size UAVs for varied missions.
  
  To assist with federal marketing and  commercialization  services,  earlier this
  year Sonex hired The Washington Capitol Group (TWCG), a government relations and
  public  affairs  firm.  TWCG is working  with Mr.  Beach and Sonex  personnel to
  formulate  a  strategy  and  pursue   governmental   and   commercial   business
  opportunities.  One of their areas of emphasis is to help Sonex secure follow-up
  funding on its existing government programs through associations with government
  laboratories  which have  ongoing  relationships  with all the major  automotive
  manufacturers  and defense  contractors.  Sonex hopes these efforts will lead to
  increased  cooperation  with industry and  accelerate  commercialization  of the
  Sonex technologies.
  
  Government Contracts; Expanding Technical Capabilities
  
  Dr. Andrew A. Pouring,  Chief Executive  Officer,  Vice Chairman of the Board of
  Directors,  and Chief  Scientist,  expanded on the current programs with DOE and
  DARPA and provided an overview of the primary SCS piston  technologies - the Low
  Soot  Diesel  Design  (LSDD)  and the  Sonex  Controlled  Auto  Ignition  (SCAI)
  combustion process.
  
  Dr.  Pouring  explained  that the LSDD enables soot and oxides of nitrogen (NOx)
  reductions in standard direct  injection (DI) diesel engines at high compression
  ratios.  He discussed the study  conducted by one of the world's  leading engine
  engineering  consulting  firms,  Ricardo  Consulting  Engineers Ltd of the U.K.,
  which confirmed the soot  reductions  achieved by the LSDD in a DI diesel engine
  used in medium-duty  trucks.  Ricardo  presented  these  findings,  as well as a
  technical  description  of how  the  SCS  process  works  resulting  from  their
  Computational  Fluid Dynamics study of the  combustion  process,  in a technical
  paper to the  Society  of  Automotive  Engineers  (SAE)  2002  Fuels  and  Lubes
  Conference.  Dr.  Pouring  added that  Ricardo  have agreed to pursue  marketing
  opportunities  and work with Sonex on  potential  funded  programs  with  engine
  manufacturers.
  
  Currently,  the LSDD is being evaluated under the Company's  subcontract awarded
  by DOE prime contractor Compact Membrane Systems,  Inc. (CMS). Sonex and CMS are
  evaluating  the diesel  engine  emissions  reduction  potential of combining SCS
  pistons and the CMS polymer  membrane  technology  for the  addition of nitrogen
  enriched air to the  combustion  process.  Sonex is conducting the testing on an
  advanced, research, three-cylinder, DI, turbo-charged,  automotive diesel engine
  developed  by a major  international  vehicle  manufacturer  in the  joint  U.S.
  Government and automotive industry funded PNGV (Partnership for a New Generation
  Vehicle) program.
  
  The SCAI combustion process is applicable to low compression ratio DI engines to
  enable  auto-ignition  and  combustion  with high  rates of heat  release  for a
  variety of fuels to achieve  reduced  emissions  and  increased  fuel economy in
  un-throttled,  lightweight  engines.  The  SCAI  is an  in-cylinder  method  for
  isolating  a small  portion  of an  unthrottled,  lean  air-fuel  charge in each
  combustion  cycle to produce  reactive  chemical  species (RCS) that are carried
  over to cause  sparkless  compression  ignition  in the next  cycle at  gasoline
  compression ratios.  Sonex previously referred to the SCAI combustion process as
  "Stratified  Charge,  Radical Ignition (SCRI)" because the piston design process
  focuses on the control of ignition by placing a special  design  emphasis on the
  chemically  active products of combustion known as "free radicals".  The Company
  now  feels  that  the  term  Sonex  Controlled  Auto  Ignition  (SCAI)  is  more
  descriptive of the ability of the process to control low compression  ratio auto
  ignition in a DI engine.
  
  The  Company's  current  contract  from  DARPA  calls for the  conversion  of an
  existing  six-cylinder,   spark-ignited,  four-stroke,  automotive  engine  from
  gasoline  operation to heavy fuel  operation  through a custom  common rail fuel
  injection  system and an SCAI piston  design.  DARPA may consider  this route to
  achieve  an HFE  for  potential  use in a  developmental  UAV  or  other  engine
  applications.  The SCAI  process  for  four-stroke  engines  achieves  sparkless
  ignition-combustion  of the heavy fuel without raising the compression  ratio to
  the levels found in diesel  engines.  As a result,  the inherent light weight of
  the gasoline  engine is preserved and peak  combustion  pressures are limited to
  those of gasoline  operation.  Currently,  Sonex is nearing  achievement  of the
  laboratory configuration HFE to begin iterative testing on heavy fuel.
  
  Dr. Pouring informed the shareholders  that most of the recent SCAI calculations
  and computer  modeling had been  performed  by David A. Blank,  Ph.D.,  a former
  student of Dr. Pouring's at the U.S. Naval Academy and now a consultant to Sonex
  living in India.  Dr. Blank also  co-authored  and presented the Company's  most
  recent technical paper on the SCAI combustion  process at the May 2003 SAE Fuels
  and Lubes Conference in Japan. Dr. Pouring expressed his thanks and gratitude to
  Dr. Blank for his  significant  contributions,  particularly in view of the fact
  that to date Dr. Blank has received only stock option compensation for this work
  and partial  reimbursement for his significant  out-of-pocket  expenditures.  He
  stated that the Company would attempt to find room in its budget to provide cash
  compensation  for Dr. Blank for his past efforts and bring him to Annapolis on a
  full-time, full-pay basis in 2004.
  
  Finally,   Dr.  Pouring  reported  that  the  Company  is  developing  a  patent
  application  using  proprietary  techniques to improve the performance of rotary
  engines  operating on gasoline now in use in some UAVs when  converted to run on
  heavy  fuels.  The  advantages  for the rotary  engine  when  compared to piston
  technologies are clearly  significant.  The rotary engine has fewer moving parts
  and is a very simple and elegant  technical  solution  for UAV  engines.  Rotary
  engines  converted  by Sonex  to run on  heavy  fuel  are  expected  to  exhibit
  efficient and steady performance.  Combustion efficiency is expected to improve,
  thereby  decreasing  fuel  consumption  over  all  load  ranges,  which  is very
  important for increasing  endurance and/or increasing available payload capacity
  on UAVs.
  
  Potential Impact of Sonex GDI Technology on National Energy Policy Legislation
  
  Mr. Michael I. Keller,  the consultant who has served as the Company's  Director
  of Business  Development and Government Programs for the past few years, touched
  on the  Company's  efforts to provide input to the ongoing  legislative  process
  regarding  fuel  mileage and  emissions  standards.  He recapped  the efforts by
  Congress  over the past year to  legislate  a national  energy  bill which could
  include  increases to the future Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards
  for automobiles and light trucks.  Congress failed to reach agreement in 2002 on
  such a bill but is addressing it once again in 2003.
  
  Mr. Keller  reported that Sonex is seeking to show the technical  feasibility of
  achieving  reduced fuel consumption  while lowering  emissions in a new class of
  gasoline engines,  yet overcoming the safety concern that vehicles would need to
  be  reduced  in size and weight to improve  fuel  mileage.  The SCAI  combustion
  process  focusing on the  control of ignition  may,  with  further  development,
  enable gasoline direct injected (GDI) automobile engines, currently manufactured
  and sold only in  markets  outside  the U.S.  due to high  emissions,  to become
  emissions compliant in the U.S. while providing fuel consumption benefits.
  
  He explained that Sonex had effectively presented the SCAI technology during the
  House-Senate  Conference on the Energy Policy Act of 2002.  Language in the 2002
  version  favorable to the Company's  efforts has been carried over into the 2003
  proposed  bill,  specifically  encouraging  industrial  investment  in feasible,
  innovative,  fuel-saving  technologies  that could be put into production in the
  2010 to 2012 timeframe.
  
  The  objective  of  Sonex  is to be at the  forefront  by  providing  compelling
  laboratory  engine  data on how the SCAI  can  deliver  25% to 30% fuel  mileage
  improvements  at lower cost than any  alternative  in that time  frame,  such as
  hydrogen-fuel cell powered vehicles and infrastructure which are more costly and
  longer term. In addition,  the evolution of hybrid gasoline and electric powered
  vehicles could be accelerated  since a major  improvement in engine fuel mileage
  would provide  opportunities for tradeoff of vehicle weight versus fuel-electric
  balance.
  
  Sonex is applying the SCS piston technologies in contracted programs for the DoD
  and the DOE.  Outcomes  from  these  current  programs  on diesel and heavy fuel
  should  validate  the SCS  technology  for  in-cylinder  control of ignition and
  combustion that could be applied to a gasoline powered version.
  
  Contact:  George E. Ponticas,  CFO. Tel: 410-266-5556;  email:  sonex@erols.com;
  website www.sonexresearch.com
  
  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  Sonex  Controlled  Auto
  Ignition (SCAI)  combustion  process to the automotive  industry to improve fuel
  efficiency of gasoline powered vehicles in response to forthcoming  increases in
  national vehicle fuel mileage standards.  Additionally,  independent third-party
  testing has confirmed the potential of the SCS application  for  direct-injected
  diesel  engines to reduce  harmful  soot  in-cylinder  without  increasing  fuel
  consumption.  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, such as in UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles).
  
  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.
  
  September 24, 2003
  
  SONEX RESEARCH, INC.
  Registrant
  
  /s/ George E. Ponticas
  ----------------------
  George E. Ponticas
  Chief Financial Officer