Al-Li is a Western invention actually, but the first-gen alloys, dating back to the mid-1950s, had a number of deficiencies that precluded widespread adoption. Pretty much the only aircraft with significant use of such materials to enter service was the A-5 Vigilante, the very similar British TSR.2 would also have adopted it but was of course cancelled. I *think* the problem was high cycle fatigue, so until the 3rd gen alloys were developed, throw-away liquid propellant rocket tanks (most famously the Space Shuttle external tank) were the only application in the West.
The Soviet Union took a few years longer, but had much greater success - IIRC in the 1st/2nd/3rd generation classification commonly adopted, second generation actually refers exclusively to the Soviet efforts. These alloys were used in a wide variety of production aircraft, though not to the extent of largely replacing conventional aluminium. That only became possible with the 3rd generation (Boeing looked at it for the 777, but considered the technology too immature at the time), of which there are both Western and Russian varieties. Transfer of Soviet know-how after the collapse of the USSR may well have informed and stimulated Western 3rd gen development.
