Protechnik was a front company established on 24 June 1987 by theSouth African Defence Force to perform quality assurance testing of chemical protective materials and equipment within a covert operation known asProject Coast.[1]
Founded by Dr. Jan Lourens, a bio-engineering consultant atRoodeplaat Research Laboratories, as Systems Research and Development (SRD), with funding provided by the Medical arm of the SADF. Protechnik's shareholders would include Medchem Consolidated Investments (MCI), WPW Investments (a firm belonging toWouter Basson) the Luxembourg-based Charburn Enterprises. According to testimony provided in the Wouter Basson trial, Protechnik was involved in reverse engineeringChemical Agent Monitors.[2]
The company is now a subsidiary ofArmscor.