A starfighter designed for the Empire around the time of Emperor Palpatine's rebirth on Byss, it surprisingly came to the Empire from Incom, a perennial supplier of Rebel starfighters. It has been nicknamed for the Kamarian Howlrunner. It resembles a streamlined T-47 airspeeder in shape, being a long, wedge-shaped craft with a rectangular midsection. Little is known about the I-7's performance in battle, although initial engagements during the struggle against the clones of Emperor Palpatine on Byss suggest that has excellent maneuverability and can take a lot of punishment. The ship measures 11.4 meters in length, and is armed with a pair of laser cannons. It was the first major starfighter design to come from the nationalized Incom Corporation, in response to the Kuat Drive Yards A-9 Vigilance Interceptor and the FreiTek E-Wing.

The I-7 "Howlrunner" is typical of most Incom designs, although it was originally intended to compete with Sienar's TIE series of fighters. The Howlrunner is lightly armed and normally doesn't include a hyperdrive, like the TIEs; however, some of these ships do include a hyperdrive, and can accommodate an additional occupant in the cockpit.