To improve the ductility of $Al_3Hf$ and $Al_3Ta$ intermetallic compounds, which are the potential temperature structural materials, the mechanical alloying behaviour and the effect of ternary additions on the $Ll_2$ phase formation were investigated. During the mechanical alloying by the SPEX mill, the $Ll_2$ $Al_3Hf$ intermetallic compound was formed after 6 hours of milling in AL-25%Hf system. In AL-25%Ta system, however, only the $D0_{22}$ $Al_3Ta$ intermetallic compound was formed until 30 hours of milling and the $Ll_2$ phase was not observed. In AL-12.5%M-25%Ta(M=Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Ni) systems, the additions of Cu and Zn had no effect on the $D0_{22}$ structure of the binary $Al_3Hf$ and the additions of Mn, Fe and Ni produced the amorphous phase. Therefore it was considered that these ternary additions could not overcome the energy difference between $Ll_2$ and $D0_{22}$ structures in the $Al_3Hf$ intermetallic compound. In AL-12.5%M-25%Hf(M=Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Ni)systems, the additions of Cu and Zn did not affect the $Ll_2$ structure of the binary $Al_3Hf$ but the additions of oMn, Fe and Ni produced the amorphous phase as they did in AL-12.5%M-25%Ta systems. Therefore, it was considered that the Ni, Mn and Fe additions promote the formation of amorphous phase in $Al_3X$ intermetallic compounds.