Alion Science and Technology Corporation is an "employee-owned" technology solutions company delivering technical expertise and operational support to the United States Department of Defense, civilian government agencies and commercial customers. Based in Tysons Corner, Virginia, Alion has 3300 employees at major offices, customer sites and laboratories worldwideand utilizes subcontractors whenever possible to keep their costs down. It was established in 2002 when approximately 1600 employees purchased most of the assets of IIT Research Institute. One Alion product is the simulation software tool, Micro Saint Sharp.