You run into a sort of primitive version of Apollo's Law then though- if upgrading to standard tech is the only way to make this thing useful, is it worth those resources to begin with?
Well, no, it isn't.
But, in the case of a light scout, it
is useful to begin with - you're just making it a bit more useful, or in this case, more survivable, so that it can be useful for longer.
I see an armour upgrade in that light - whenever something breaks, replace it with the equivalent standard armour, and the whole cover once that happens often enough; Armour takes damage first, and if that militia is in any way actually using their Pathfinders, that damage will accumulate, so, in relative peace, why not supply it with milspec plate that the militia hopefully has access to, anyways. I could see them not even using the freed up weight, just the durability would be a boon already.
If you think about a serious upgrade, I think we indeed reach the point where it is more sensible to replace the entire machine. Could just take an old Commando and pull a missile launcher for a probe and ecm.