How Stalin might react to an early British jet lead

How would an early British jet lead influence the Soviet Union?

It would likely heighten Stalin's suspicion and trigger an urgent Soviet effort to understand or obtain the technology.

The British technology lead would probably intensify Stalin's suspicion of the Soviet Union's rivals. That reaction fits a propaganda tradition that depicted Britain either as the hidden organizer of anti-Russian policy or as an incompetent enemy, depending on the immediate argument. A British first flight in 1933-34, operational aircraft by 1936-37, and a second generation by 1939-40 would therefore provoke a serious Soviet effort to understand and acquire the technology. The answer points to political alarm and a technology race without naming a specific Soviet aircraft program.