Bruce, Bruce, stop posing as an expert until you get the names right.

The plural of ilk (singular) is ilk (plural). Just as several elk are elk and several deer are deer. It's the never-before-herd mentality. In fact long before Yuri Gargarin went into space the US actually launched a satellite similar to a Sputnik, but with several ilk in the cargo bay, known in history as the herd shot round the world...

A