By Michael Kahn and Supantha Mukherjee

PRAGUE/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -When former German army officer Matt Kuppers evaluated an Austrian startup's anti-drone weapons system, his military eye spotted what the young civilian founders had missed: the heated gun barrel lost accuracy after repeated firings.

That insight exemplifies how military veterans are reshaping Europe's defence technology landscape, bringing their experience to boardrooms and development labs, as the Ukraine war drives unprecedented investment in the sector.

"They did not realise a weapon barrel heats up during prolonged firing and can subtly skew [its targeting accuracy] due to the heat," said Kuppers, a co-founder of venture capital firm Defence Invest, comprising former German and British soldiers, which is testing the

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