ANNAPOLIS, Md., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SONEX RESEARCH, INC. (OTC:SONX), a leader in the field of combustion technology, announced that it has signed a contract for $272,700 with a large international defense company to develop a combustion system to convert a small gasoline engine to start and operate on standard military kerosene-based fuels (also referred to as "heavy fuels") for potential use in a military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The contract grants the customer sole rights for five years to the SCS HFE(TM) conversion design for this model engine. The Department of Defense (DoD) now requires engines used in UAVs and other military applications for which gasoline storage and use are undesirable, to operate on less volatile, kerosene-based heavy fuels to reduce the hazard associated with gasoline. Sonex will design and develop a heavy fuel engine (HFE) conversion process for this small, two-stroke, spark-ignited (SI) gasoline engine based on the patented Sonex Combustion System (SCS) modified combustion chamber design and proprietary starting system for two- stroke SI engines. Under this contract, Sonex will use its best efforts over the next few months to develop a laboratory prototype engine operating on JP-8 heavy fuel, and will conduct performance testing and limited durability testing. Upon attainment of a successful prototype SCS HFE(TM), Sonex hopes to be contracted for a follow-on program for the development, fabrication and qualification of pre-production, flight ready engines. Contact: George E. Ponticas, CFO, Sonex Research, Inc., tel: 410-266-5556, email: , website: http://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. Additionally, independent third- party testing has confirmed the potential of the SCS application for direct- injected diesel engines to significantly 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 report, 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 (SEC) under the heading "Risk Factors". Such filings are available upon request from the Company or online in the SEC's EDGAR database at http://www.sec.gov/. The Company, however, is delinquent in its filings with the SEC. It has not filed its Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2004 because it lacks the financial resources to engage its independent accountants to conduct an audit of the December 31, 2004 financial statements and because its limited staff has not had time to prepare the Form 10-KSB itself. For the same reasons, the Company has been unable to file its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-QSB for March 31, 2005, June 30, 2005 and September 30, 2005. The Company is unable to predict when it will be able to make these filings and there can be no assurance that the filings will be made at all. In addition, there can be no assurance that a public market for the Company's Common Stock will continue to exist. DATASOURCE: Sonex Research, Inc. CONTACT: George E. Ponticas, CFO of Sonex Research, Inc., +1-410-266-5556, Web site: http://www.sonexresearch.com/

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