A bit late. I finally got through the mission, and once you get around that want to keep your troops alive, it's much easier. I've actually just finished a lull. Got through the harbor mission, lucky spawn.
Okay, so while I dislike the combat wounding system, the hospital has been seriously improved. There's actually a benefit to having one now.
I like the stun rods. Works well. One complaint is that half-way through or so, there's a message talking about Stun Grenades. Are these not implimented yet? Or later tech? Either way, that's the first mention, and there's nothing I can do for them. A mis-print?
One point of balance is that 5000 alien materials seems to be a bit expensive for the Dragon Interceptor. That's 17 landed scouts. I'm not sure the exact return from the larger ships, but it seems a bit over the top, particularly for the first of the alien tech interceptors.