That's a really impressive start! Well done! This mission feels like: "OpenXCom: Grenadiers" so many flash bangs! I don't really like grenades as they take too many TUs to prime, but when primed before mission start, they look really powerful.
Also, regarding your question on small scouts: I'm not sure if they land (it probably depends on the mission they are on, they might land for stuff like Alien Research, probably don't for Alien Retaliation) but they can safely be shot down with a craft cannon.
It's a bit annoying to keep a cannon on an interceptor for that, but small scouts pretty much always have a mind probe in them and that's 300k right there, and a pretty easy mission (only one alien to kill). I think it's worth it. In my late games, I usually have bases on both poles and station a cannon interceptor (or thunderstorm, rather) in each one, so they can cover the whole globe.
