Well, that’s almost 2 successes. Good job. The SEs are definitely better but the Defiants are still good substitutes.
What I believe you can do w/ the hero is when you land the paratroopers, place the hero w/ one of them. Since he deploys at the beginning of the movement phase and not the end like the SEs, he should be able to move right away. Therefore, if you place a SE behind the Vet Tiger, you should be able to place the hero in the hex next to the Tiger’s rear and hopefully either move into the Tiger’s hex on the attack or force the Tiger to move. If you’ve managed to surround the Tiger decently, preferrably around forest or hills, he will be in trouble.
Of course you should try to coordinate this w/ an attack from another tank.