Arion Systems, Inc. was founded 10 December 1985 as a Virginia corporation by Dr. M.G. Gibby. The corporate business base in the early years consisted of work on several challenging, leading–edge, marine development programs for the Department of the Navy. By 1987, ASI had leased its first office space in Vienna, Virginia and acquired the key technical staff who formed the foundation of ASI's Marine Engineering Division. ASI's marine business sector continued to grow in the post-Cold War era while the larger defense sector experienced a significant contraction. 
In the mid-1990's, the corporation began to leverage its expertise in fiber optic communications, developed as a result of work for the U.S. Navy, to diversify the corporate business base. The telecommunications and networking sector experienced rapid growth as Arion Systems deepened and broadened corporate expertise in this rapidly moving technology area.
In 2000, Arion Systems relocated the corporate headquarters to a larger facility in Chantilly, Virginia to accommodate an expanding staff. This location provides the corporation and its employees with better access to major customers and to the technology companies in the Reston-Dulles corridor.