I imagine that moderately sized autonomous VTOL jets will eventually become cheap enough to completely displace attack helicopters for most use cases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pEqyr_uT-k
When they fly, they basically turn horizontal, relying on body lift + vectored thrust. They're small enough, with high enough power/weight ratios, that that's enough. Apparently there's no need for a tilt-rotor, because the whole airplane becomes a tilt-rotor.
Similar principal as cruise missiles, which have short stubby wings to augment body lift + vectored thrust. When the airframe gets light enough, you don't need much in the way of wings.
On new approaches, I saw something about new US missile research where they get rid of the fins and point the nose to turn. My Google-fu is failing me though.
https://interestingengineering.com/videos/this-bizarre-plane...
There were a few drawbacks. It required a seat that pivoted 90° forward, so that when pilots could see when taking off and when landing.
Unpowered landings would inevitably result in damage to the airframe.
Powered landings looked like space-x rockets, and were at the time difficult to pull off, as their instrumentation and and flight systems weren't developed enough to reliably land vertically.
They noted the airframe would have a habit of spinning when hovering vertically.
It was cancelled after a failed test flight, but with modern technology I think one could be built flightworthy.
The plane does look cool, and would fulfill a critical role of a jet aircraft that can be launched without a runway.