Arska

Is it possible to use some sort of cheat to get the best possible LBE for my mercs right in the beginning so I wouldn't need to worry about those any more??

Hi Arska. There is a simple and quick solution/"cheat" for your problem:
Open the map editor and edit the starting sector A9! You can simply add a crate somewhere which contains a full set of good* LBE. After you're done with editing, save the map and start a new game.

*e.g. Russian 106 vest and Tac 3d pack can be cosidered quite good, since they've got lots of space.