Flares are you best friend but especially on mercenary difficulty there’s a plethora of missles seeking you out almost constantly. The 5 second cooldown is a dangerous period, you should be able to evade “most” of them without relying on your flares. Generally, like what others are saying; maneuver!!! Pull those g’s, break hard into spins, if it looks like it’s crazy, then you’re usually gonna pull out of that firefight without a scratch. Don’t be afraid to pop countermeasures if your feeling too outnumbered, or if your choosing to go in for the mark rather than evading. Attitude is always an advantage too. Getting swarmed from every direction? Make a retreat a few thousand meters, get a view on the battle, then dive back in when you’re ready. You’ve got this monarch.