A significant volume of “thick” aluminum plate products is used in the manufacture of an aircraft's internal structure in applications such as ribs, frames, bulkheads, etc. A program at Alcoa was aimed at developing a portfolio of new product offerings for these “thick” structural plate applications in view of rising fuel costs, increasing environmental constraints and the desire for reduced maintenance costs in derivative and next-generation aircraft. The performance of new 7xxx and Al-Li based products is discussed for a variety of gauges. Strength, toughness and stress corrosion cracking are used as the main indicators of goodness. It is concluded that different products cover different parts of the performance vs. density spectrum.