Small Scout

The Small Scout is the first UFO the alien side has access to in the game. As such, it isn't very powerful, it's slow, and is only crewed by a single alien. Its primary use is to run research missions and not much else. Since it has an abduction rating of 0 it will not contribute to research despite being able to be sent on the mission. While unable to research, the Small Scout is capable of performing harvesting missions. Capable may be a bit generous seeing as it is incredibly inefficient at the task, however if you're critically low on Alien Food and Organs the Small Scout can potentially help you out.

What the Small Scout lacks in strength and versatility it makes up for in cost. The Small Scout is the cheapest UFO to produce and man in the game allowing for a large fleet of them to swarm the skies even in the early stages. Additionally, they make excellent bait for the human player as you can use your Small Scouts as distractions to draw interceptors away from your more valuable UFOs. The Small Scout's low cost and low build time make it a viable choice even in the mid game as a dedicated researcher as even if the human player shoots them down often, they are commonly destroyed instead of shot down denying the human player alien materials.