Depending on your experience, fixed wing might be the way to go. FAA to EASA IR(H) is 15 hours (plus the cost of getting your FAA IR (40 hours)
EASA IR(A) to IR(H) is only 10 hours (plus the cost of getting your PPL and IR)
I reckon converting to fixed wing and getting an IR could be cheaper than getting the FAA IR, especially as the CBIR route only requires 40 hours.