There is -NO- alternative to a capable attack helo like the Cobra or Apache because it gives you options which no other fixed wing machine does. If i am a general fighting a land based combat with 30000 men aboard mechanized units , armored vehicles , IFV's , MBTs , APCs , Mobile SAMs , Mobile SR-Missile launchers , Howitzers , tracked artillery , and mobile cruise missile launchers, what i would need is round the clock air cover where F-16s -JFTs come in.
But most of all , what i would want to be protected and have an offensive punch at times of need is to have at least 70-120 high end attack helos which would provide me with matched speed attack capability , air cover , they can land in the battlefield , fly low , and can hover and return fire. I would need my choppers to take out enemy armor , provide a flying anti jamming and jamming platform , and a critical degree of situational awareness and birds eye view of the battlefield -[which now can be done by UAVs]
So rotary air crafts are WAY more important for modern combat scene and can't be excluded.
Regards: