Frazzled - you are spot on regarding our Blackhawks.
MTOW, Bushranger, I agree with most of what you are saying. Bushranger, with regard to Helos, they are more vulnerable than a higher flying UAV or manned aircraft and, as I believe you are suggesting, the loss of one or several would have political consequences. In high intensity conflict, where there is effective red-air, helicopters would also face substantial air-air threat (I have been told by fighter pilots that rotor discs stand out like the dogs proverbial on radar and, I assume, also the heat sig on IRST).
IMHO a good off the shelf solution would be the AC-130U. The problem is we currently don't even have enough C-130s (or Crew) to meet our current airlift requirements. Also, a new AC-130U is approx $190 mil. An AC-130 can spend long periods on station and provide substantial direct fire support. Another cheaper and safer, but less effective, option would be the MQ-9 or equivilent.