TRAVELLING between London and Oxfordshire in the rush hour is not usually an easy task: congested roads and rail delays can conspire to make the commuter's journey a hellish one.

But yesterday the greatest obstacle I encountered was a cloudy sky and the return journey took under an hour.

Yet before motorists across the county grow excited at the thought of a radical solution to their usual travel headaches, I ought to make clear this is no new public transport alternative.

I was travelling on one of the RAF's six new Merlin Mk3a helicopters, which were unveiled at their new home, RAF Benson.

The six aircraft have been bought from Denmark as part of a £175m deal by the Ministry of Defence and will spend the next six months being transformed from search-and-rescue helicopters into fighting machines capable of handling anything that combat in Iraq and Afghanistan throws at them.

Flying in one was unlike anything I'd experienced before.

In-flight entertainment consists of earplugs, a dizzying view and a heavy, uncomfortable helmet, while nothing can prepare you for the noise.

There's no escaping the rhythmic pounding of the rotor-blades (which are state-of-the-art design and enhance the chopper's speed, range and lift) and, with the back and side doors wide open at 2,000ft, there's not much chance of holding a conversation with the passenger beside you.

Yet the crew who work on them and who have taken its predecessor, the Merlin Mk3, into battle in the Middle East, move around them with ease and skill.

Our flight took us from RAF Northolt, in Ruislip, west London, to RAF Benson, where Lord Drayson, the Government's minister for defence equipment support, greeted crew and thanked the Oxfordshire servicemen and women for their continued work overseas before officially unveiling the aircraft.

At any one time about 150 personnel from the air station - 30 per cent of the total based there - are abroad, serving in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Station Commander Group Captain Paul Lyall said the new Merlins, which have three Rolls-Royce engines and can lift the equivalent of two Land Rovers, were a "huge boost" for the base and he and his team were "extremely excited" about working with the machines.

The six new choppers will lead to a second Merlin squadron being established at RAF Benson - 28 Squadron is already the largest squadron in the country, with 22 aircraft and 300 personnel but, from December 3, 78 Squadron will be formed.

It will be headed up by Wing Commander Nigel Colman, who flew the Merlin to Jordan on its first desert mission three years ago.

He knows the Merlin can cope in the harshest environments imaginable and labels it the "ultimate stealth machine".

It is almost certain they will soon be doing battle in Iraq and Afghanistan - disappointing news for frustrated commuters.