Known by both those who piloted it and those who were its targets as the "Clutch," the tri-fighter was a starfighter of the "Ugly" variety, seeing use by various groups. These included Moff Leonia Tavira and her band of pirates, as well as the Invids. Urias Xhaxin, a Rebel privateer, had several of these Uglies, including Clutches, aboard his vessel, the Free Lance, during the time of the Yuuzhan Vong War. Furthermore, Clutches served as escort fighters during the evacuation of Dubrillon's population to Dantooine.
The Clutch was constructed using a TIE/LN starfighter ball cockpit along with ion engines and three triangular fins positioned 120° apart; one fin was situated above the cockpit, while the other two were below. Windows were incorporated into the sides of the ball cockpit, enhancing the pilot's field of view. While slightly slower than X-wing fighters, Clutches were more agile. Their control layout was also unique and useful, featuring pedals for executing rapid turns. The thrust and repulsor throttles could be disengaged by pulling their respective knobs, which the starfighter interpreted as a command to counteract and halt the movement in question, rather than simply cutting the power. This allowed a pilot to rapidly stop the ship's momentum and just as quickly re-engage it, potentially adding a quick turn to further evade pursuers.
Unlike Imperial TIE Series starfighters, the Clutch was equipped with basic shields, improving its survivability. Its armament included two laser cannons positioned beneath the cockpit, akin to the TIE fighter. Additionally, the Clutch featured an ion cannon mounted on the tip of the upper fin. The two lower fins doubled as landing gear.
Although sometimes called "tri-fighters," Clutches should not be mistaken for the droid tri-fighters used by the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the latter part of the Clone Wars.